The Kerala High Court on Tuesday held that the requirement of police officers to wear a uniform while on duty should be scrupulously observed.
Justice Mohammed Nias directed the State Police Chief (SPC) to look into the matter and issue appropriate directions to ensure that police officers comply with the relevant statutory provisions and guidelines making it mandatory to wear the uniform while on duty except when it is permissible under law to deviate from the mandatory requirement. The court also asked the SPC to file an action taken report before it within four months.
The court issued the order on a petition filed by Avinash of Thrissur seeking to quash a case registered against him by the Guruvayur police for causing obstruction to official duty of a police officer. The petitioner said the officer was in plain cloth.
Direct identification
The court observed that the uniform of a policeman was his direct identification. A policeman in uniform was visible and a citizen immediately knew that he was a policeman, which would inform that the individual was in charge of his protection and prevention of offences.
