Prevention of crime is important than efficiency in investigation: HC

CHENNAI: Observing that in recent times, prevention of crime is lacking, the Madras High Court held that prevention of crimes in society is far more important than developing efficiency in the investigation after the commission of a crime.

Justice SM Subramaniam made this observation on dismissing petitions filed by R Muthukumaran, M Parthiban, P Ramesh, and C Venkatesh – all are policemen with the Armed Reserve force of the state police.

The judge held that high discipline, honesty, and integrity are the need of the hour in the police department, more specifically, in the law and order wing.

“There are common allegations of collusion, receiving Mamul (Bribe) by the Police personnel in Police Stations and in the Law and Order wing. If the Police personnel with lack of integrity are posted in the Law and Order wing, then it will have a direct implication on the maintenance of Law and Order in the society,” Justice SM Subramaniam held.

The petitioners sought direction to the Home Department to convert them from the Armed Reserve wing to Law and Order wing. They submitted that they are in the rank of Sub-Inspectors in the AR and crossed 40 years of age.

However, the State informed the court that the petitioners faced departmental punishments and they lack an unblemished record of service to post them to the Law and Order wing of the police.

Recording the submissions, the judge ruled that the interference of the High Court in the matter of conversion of police personnel from one wing to another wing would cause serious repercussions in the matter of maintenance of high discipline in the police force.