Hyderabad, Aug 3 (IANS) Telangana’s State Police Complaint Authority (SPCA) was inaugurated here on Sunday.

Former judge of the Telangana High Court and chairman, Justice (Retd.) B. Shiva Shankar Rao formally inaugurated the SPCA office at D block, 8th floor of BRKR Bhavan near State Secretariat.

The SPCA was established following the Supreme Court guidelines in the 2006 judgement on PIL filed by retired IPS Prakash Singh to ensure transparency, accountability and fair redressal of grievances against police personnel of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and above.

Speaking on the occasion, Shiv Shankar Rao emphasised the importance of such institutions in strengthening democracy and promoting public trust in the police system and also highlighted that the SPCA will function independently and provide an accessible platform for citizens to lodge complaints against any misconduct or dereliction of duty by police personnel of Deputy Superintendent of Police and above rank.

The Supreme Court, in the Prakash Singh vs. Union of India case, mandated the establishment of SPCAs at both the state and district levels.

SPCAs are designed to receive and investigate complaints of serious misconduct by police officers, including those involving death, grievous hurt, rape in custody, extortion, and abuse of authority.

The SPCA will play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the police force and upholding the rule of law. The Chairman appealed to the general public to approach the SPCA office situated at D block, 8th floor, BRKR Bhavan, Hyderabad, for redressal of their complaints and grievances related to police misconduct.

SPCA members Pramod Kumar, IPS Retd., Dr Varre Venkateshwarlu, along with District Police Complaint Authority Chairman and former District Judge Y. Aravind Reddy, members K.V. Ram Narsimha Reddy, Addl. SP (Retd.), S. Rajender, Ramana Kumar, AIG (Law and order) participated.

The Telangana Government recently allotted space for the State Police Complaint Authority in the BRKR Bhavan, where Kaleshwaram Commission office was earlier located.

–IANS

ms/uk