VIJAYAWADA: The state government appointed retired High Court judge Justice V. Kanagaraj as chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Police Complaints Authority. The orders were issued on Sunday by the principal secretary to government Kumar Viswajeet.
Justice Kanagaraj was earlier appointed as State Election Commissioner but the Court struck it down and reinstated Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar.
About a year after Kanagaraj was removed by the Supreme Court as the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner, retired judge of Madras High Court V Kanagaraj was on Sunday appointed as Chairman of the AP State Police Complaints Authority. The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government modified its own rules, framed in October last year, to rehabilitate Justice Kanagaraj.
Justice Kanagaraj was appointed as the State Election Commissioner in April 2020. In the very next month, the High Court struck down his appointment and subsequently the Supreme Court too upheld the High court order. Now, the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime has brought him back in a new role.
According to the Andhra Pradesh State-Level Police Complaints Authority (Administration and Procedure) Rules, 2020, only those below the age of 65 years are eligible for appointment as the Authority’s chairperson. Justice Kanagaraj is 20 years past that age and hence the government had to relax Rule 4 (a) to enable his appointment.
The AP State Police Complaints Authority is mandated to look into complaints against officers of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police and above. It shall take into cognizance allegations of serious misconduct by the police personnel, which would include incidents involving death, grievous hurt or rape in police custody. The Police Complaints Authority has been set up in accordance with the judgment of the Supreme Court in a civil writ petition on September 22, 2006.
