PANJIM: One of Goa’s prominent constitutional rights bodies State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) – that remained without a Chairman since April 2018 – is now practically defunct with its two members proceeding on ‘earned leave.’
In Goa, where successive governments have been reluctant to comply with Supreme Court’s directives on police reforms; the SPCA that was formed in 2007 as partial compliance of the verdict, virtually doesn’t exist.
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The functioning of the SPCA by and large was not hampered except that “final reports” would be kept on hold owing to the absence of a Chairman. But with SPCA members S B S Kerkar and Dr B A Gomes, who conducted hearings into matters against respondent policemen, taking leave; the entire functioning has come to a standstill.
The government has decided to reconstitute the three-member board until which time, all the case hearings from this month have been postponed to an indefinite date. “In respect of the cases fixed for hearing from November, 2020 onwards, fresh notices to the concerned parties will be issued intimating the dates of hearing of cases, after the reconstitution of the State Police Complaints Authority,” a notice by SPCA Secretary Laura Britto e Madre de Deus states.
Sources told Herald that the two members have together proceeded on ‘earned leave’ on being informed to relinquish office. Their term comes to an end on November 25, 2020.
The Chairman’s post had fallen vacant on retirement of Justice (retd) R M S Khandeparkar who completed his five years tenure on March 31, 2018. The panel does not hold powers to deliver verdict sans its Chairman. Over 500 cases had been filed with the SPCA in the last over a decade. It is learnt that over 80 cases are pending hearing.
The abrupt decision of the government has come as a rude shock also because the contractual staff has also been relieved from their duty.
