The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday declined to entertain a PIL petition seeking a direction to the city police to publish the names and details of those arrested in connection with the August 11 violence at D.J. Halli and K.G. Halli localities on the official website of the Bengaluru city police.
Petitioner Khaleel Ahmed H.M., a resident of Hebbal, had alleged that the city police are not following the law and guidelines issued by the apex court in relation to rights of accused persons, thereby violating their fundamental rights.
However, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S. Kinagi said publication of names and details of the arrested on the official website of the city police may result in the names and particulars going viral on social media affecting the right to privacy of the accused persons.
Pointing out that Section 41C of the Code of Criminal Procedure mandates the police to display the names and addresses of the persons arrested and the name and designation of the police officers who made the arrests on the notice board kept outside the control rooms at every district, the petitioner said such details need to be published on the website so that family members of arrested persons could seek legal remedy.
The Bench, however, observed that the plea for uploading details of arrested person does not benefit the accused even though the petitioner has claimed that he has been working for the benefit of deprived sections of society and to protect the rights of the arrested.
The Bench made it clear that the issue of alleged violation of rights of the accused raised in the petition has been kept open to be decided in appropriate proceedings.
