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Journalism of Courage
The Delhi High Court has said the police cannot keep a person under surveillance after his or her acquittal in criminal cases.
Justice S Muralidhar said the police should take extra caution before labelling a person as history-sheeter and to put his name in surveillance register as it has “grave adverse” consequences.
“These decisions affecting the life and liberty of citizens must satisfy the constitutional mandate of Article 21 read with Article 14 since being labelled a history-sheeter has severe adverse consequences for the person so labelled,” the court said and directed the police to strike off the name of a person who had been under police surveillance for the last five years despite being acquitted in cases.
The Court passed the order on a plea by one Deepak Solanki seeking a direction to police to quash the history sheet opened in his name as it was causing hardships because of frequent visits by the police to his house.
The Court,after going through all records,found there was no evidence against Solanki. “The preparation of surveillance register (wherein name of proclaimed offender and released convicts is entered) should not be a mechanical exercise…all the relevant materials have to be considered ….after all being labelled as history-sheeter has grave adverse consequences for a person”,the court said.
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