Mar 6, 2022

Can you file a complaint when the police harass you?

The Delhi High Court condemned the Delhi Police for conducting an illegal raid at 2.30 in the morning. It issued directions for the same.

What is police harassment?

Police harassment is when a police officer goes beyond their assigned duties to take advantage of a citizen in their official capacity. This can take many forms, such as arrests without warrants where one is required and illegal raids.

Which law governs police officers in India?

Police officers are governed by the Indian Police Act of 1861.

Can police officers be arrested for harassment?

Yes, according to Section 29 of the Indian Police Act, a police officer can be punished with imprisonment up to three months and/or a fine up to three months’ salary if they have failed to fulfil their responsibility or have indulged in misbehaviour.

Which authority is responsible to handle cases of police misconduct?

Cases of serious misconduct by police officers are heard by the Police Complaint Authority (PCA)  which was set up in 2006.

What constitutes ‘serious misconduct’?

Serious misconducts include death in police custody, grievous hurt, rape or attempt to commit the same, arrest or detention without due process of law, extortion, land/house grabbing or any incident involving serious abuse of authority.

How do you file a complaint against police officers?

The PCA is a district level authority, and can be approached for cases of serious misconduct by police officers. A complaint can be sent by post or fax, or be given in person. The complaint should be written, and must include:

  • Details of the complainant.
  • Description of the incident.
  • Any additional documents which can be useful such as medical reports and photographs.

Related Weekly Posts

March 04 2022

Police Stations must have display boards with legal aid details

  Justice UU Lalit who is not only a judge in the Supreme Court of India but also the Executive Chairman of the National legal Services Authority mentioned during an event that police stations in the country must have display boards informing about the right to legal aid and the availability of free legal aid […]
Read More >

February 27 2022

#MaskUp or you could end up with a police case against you

The Tamil Nadu police have filed over 6,61,944 lakh cases (in the past three weeks) against people who failed to wear masks across the State.   What are the punishments for violating Covid-19 rules? Some of the punishments are:   Offence Punishment Intentionally doing an unlawful or negligent act which is likely to spread the […]
Read More >

February 26 2022

5 things the Supreme Court said about Police Reforms

The Supreme Court has said that its 2006 judgement of Prakash Singh v. Union of India, which dealt with police reforms, is used only periodically to suit the occasion, and the directions in the judgement have not been implemented seriously.   In this context, let us look at the Supreme Court’s directions in the 2006 […]
Read More >