Section 144: Cops in dilemma over ‘essential’ services

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.04.2020

Police personnel on the field tasked with enforcing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC are confused. On the one hand, they are asked to enforce the order strictly, and, on the other, several categories of vehicles have been deemed ‘essential services’ that they can’t stop.

Motorists’ behaviour and police response to violations too differ from zone to zone. In north Chennai it is on-thespot penalty, while in south violations are rare, but the few that venture out on to the roads are dealt with strictly.

While a section of officers feels police are unable to act freely, an inspector blamed senior officers for asking field personnel to leave behind their lathis. “Without lathis, how can we enforce the ban? In some places, policemen play safe by pleading with people to stay indoors.”

While senior officers instruct those in the field to advise people with a smile, a woman sub-inspector said, “Many people, mostly teenagers, make sarcastic comments when we drop offer advice.” Recently, director general of police J K Tripathy issued a circular to police personnel, saying heavy vehicles like trucks that empty should not be stopped following requests from traders.

And, unlike earlier, bikes seized from violators will be released only after further orders. “Because, many pay Rs 100 as fine and take away their vehicle. They fail to realize their fault and repeat the offence the next day,” said Sivashankar (name changed) an SI at Ambattur. “Now, vehicles can be detained for more than a month.”

In the past 12 days, police booked 7,460 people and seized 3,625 vehicles for violating prohibitory order. Separately, they registered 16,245 cases for violating rules like riding triples, drunk driving and not wearing helmets and seized 7,392 two-wheelers and 323 autorickshaws.

Police book over 1K cases in 12 hours

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu police have so far registered about 91,782 cases against people for violating the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC since March

24. According to police data, at least 90,918 people have been arrested and about 69,589 vehicles seized. Police have slapped more than ₹20.60lakh fine on the violators. In Chennai, during the 12-hour period from 6am to 6pm on Sunday, police registered about 1,035 cases against people roaming on roads violating the prohibitory orders. Police seized about 471 vehicles including 374 two-wheelers, 11 cars, 13 heavy vehicles, 73 other vehicles. Meanwhile, police have formed 180 permanent and temporary check-posts across all arterial city roads and deployed about 4,000 personnel to man them. Each post is manned by at least eight policemen including an inspector and a sub-inspector. In many places, armed reserve police personnel are deployed and they collect details of those roaming on roads. TNN