Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Monday came down heavily on the state police for allegedly interfering in civil disputes that are already pending adjudication before civil courts. The court observed that such unwarranted intervention by the police forces citizens to seek judicial protection.Justice T Vinod Kumar, expressing strong disapproval, said that it appeared as though the police were more interested in performing the duties of the judiciary rather than their own. “Despite repeated directions, the police are not changing their attitude,” the judge said.The observations came while hearing a petition filed by Mohsin Bafana, a businessman from Barkas, Chandrayangutta, who alleged that police officials were coercing him to withdraw a civil suit related to a 256 square yard land parcel, currently pending before the city civil court in Hyderabad. He further claimed that he was being summoned repeatedly to the Chandrayangutta police station and pressured to vacate the disputed property and hand it over to the opposing party.Taking a serious view of the matter, Justice Vinod Kumar questioned whether an inquiry and action should be initiated against the station house officer for overstepping his jurisdiction. The court reiterated that the police must limit themselves to their legal duties and refrain from dispensing “instant justice” in civil matters.Following these remarks, the govt pleader assured the court that police would act strictly within the legal framework and would not interfere with the civil aspects of the case. Satisfied with the assurance, the judge disposed of the petition.
