Ordinances passed empowering Deputy Commissioners of Police void: ICourt order

Chennai: The Madras High Court has ordered that the orders issued by empowering the Deputy Commissioners of Police to impose jail terms on offenders who violate the Oath of Good Conduct are null and void.

The police department takes an oath of good conduct from criminals who are involved in serial crimes, saying that they will not be involved in any crime. The Tamil Nadu government had issued ordinances in 2013 and 2014 empowering Deputy Commissioners of Police to imprison violators of this oath of good conduct.

Accordingly, cases were filed in the Madras High Court on behalf of those imprisoned for violating the oath of good conduct. A two-judge bench ruled in two different ways in these cases. A special bench comprising Justices Satish Kumar and Anand Venkatesh was constituted to answer the legal question in this regard.

These cases came up for hearing today in a special session. The judges heard the case and declared that the two ordinances which empowered the Deputy Commissioners of Police to imprison violators of the Oath of Good Conduct were unconstitutional.

Further, the judges stated that the police department cannot use the authority of the justice department and revenue department officials, and ordered that these two ordinances should remain as they were before they came into force. “Only the Court of Criminal Arbitration can take action against those who violate the oath of good conduct,” the judges clarified in their verdict.