Published On : Fri, Oct 16th, 2020

HC advocates zero tolerance policy against attacks on traffic cops

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Nagpur: Advocating the policy of zero tolerance against assaults on traffic police personnel, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday issued a stern warning to all law-breakers attacking traffic cops on duty. The High Court also ordered swift prosecution of all such assaulters and steps to protect the police personnel on duty from such miscreants.

“The protectors of the public at large cannot be attacked or treated in this fashion. The security of traffic constables is in peril. We cannot tolerate the violators taking law in their own hands and interfering with the discharge of official duties of public servants,” warned the division bench consisting of Justice Ravi Deshpande and Justice Pushpa Ganediwala.

During the hearing on a suo-motu PIL about traffic violations by reckless teenagers, the High Court came down heavily on people indulging in such lawless activities and intimidating traffic cops deployed to manage the city’s traffic. The High Court noted that the instances of violating traffic rules and jumping signals in the city of Nagpur are on rise and traffic police on duty are acting against them as directed by the court while deprecating recent instances of “slapping, beating or attacking the traffic constables while regulating or controlling the traffic. The Court directed the Commissioner of Police, to file an affidavit giving the specific instances of this nature, which have taken place during the last one year and action taken against the violators.

The High Court further said, “We wanted all such violators interfering in discharge of official duties to be tried expeditiously on priority. The bench further asked the Home Secretary and Commissioner of Police to propose steps to protect the traffic police from such personal attacks in the line of duty. During the last hearing, the High Court had pulled up the top brass for their failure to control traffic police and improve the city’s ever growing and worsening traffic scenario. The High Court had put the Commissioner of Police and other senior officers on notice tersely asking them to improve the situation and instill a sense of discipline and alertness in constabulary. This resulted in some drastic steps ordered by Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar to improve police presence on every square and also no use of mobile during traffic duty.