A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Prashanth Kumar Mishra and Justice A.V.Sesha Sai directed the government to file a counter explaining on what grounds it proposed to designate ward and village women protection secretaries ('Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarsis') as 'Mahila Police', and entrust them certain responsibilities supposed to be discharged by Police Department, within four weeks.
The court also issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government, Principal Secretary (Home) and chairpersons of AP Police Recruitment Board and AP Public Service Commission.
While hearing the PIL filed by A. Umamaheswara Rao of Visakhapatnam against the AP (Grama Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarsi / Ward Mahila Samrakshna Karyadarsi) Subordinate Service Rules, 2019 on Tuesday, the court made various observations and directed the respondents to make clear their stand on the matter in the given time.
The petitioner's counsel Y. Balaji argued that the impugned G.O. No.129 is illegal and violative of Sections.1, 6, 11, 21 of AP District Police Act, 1859. He insisted that only those appointed under the said Act are to be called as police and there is a separate board for the recruitment of police. Also, the home guards who are appointed on the basis of AP Home Guards Act 1948 are not called as police, Mr. Balaji stated.
