Bombay High Court asks government to fill vacancies in Police Complaint Authority

The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to undertake all efforts forthwith "to fill up each and every vacancy in the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) and in the Divisional Police Complaints Authorities (DPCA).

The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to undertake all efforts forthwith "to fill up each and every vacancy in the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) and in the Divisional Police Complaints Authorities (DPCA). The court asked the state to appoint officials to the board so authorities discharge their functions effectively.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and comprising Justice Arif S Doctor passed the order on a petition filed by activist Medha Patkar.

The PIL referred to a Supreme Court order wherein it asked all states to constitute SPCA and DPCA.

Patkar, in her plea filed through advocates Yashodeep Deshmukh and Vinod Sangvikar, stated that an RTI application, filed in December 2021, revealed that the SPCA had not been fully functioning due to a lack of funds and manpower.