Over 50% complaints against cops closed by police complaint authority in 3 years

Panaji: Over 50% of complaints against police officers were closed by the State Police Complaint Authority (SPCA) since April 2022.
A total of 95 complaints were disposed of, out of which 87 cases against police personnel were closed. Eight complaints were closed with reports. Still, 82 complaints are pending before the SPCA.
The SPCA has a total of 177 cases, state govt said.
A complaint closed means the hearing in that case was conducted and completed, and based on evidence, the case was closed. Only in one case was a recommendation order passed. An officer at the SPCA said that the complaints are closed because some people did not pursue their complaints, and in some cases, complaints were withdrawn.
The SPCA takes cognisance of only allegations of serious misconduct by police personnel, which include incidents involving death, grievous hurt, or rape in police custody. Later, in a corrigendum, govt said, “The SPCA will also inquire into allegations of extortion, land/house grabbing, or any other incidents involving serious abuse of authority.”
After the SPCA was non-functional for over three years, state govt appointed former high court judge Justice (retd) Nutan Sardessai as the new chairperson of the authority in June 2021, and since then, she is heading the authority to date. The three-member body comprises a chairman and two other members. The SPCA members are former director general of police (DGP) Indra Dev Shukla and Shirish Prabhu Lawande.
In Nov 2020, state govt shut down the state police complaints authority until it was reconstituted. There were 83 cases pending before the authority.
The tenure of the SPCA's last chairman, Justice RMS Khandeparkar, ended on April 15, 2018.
In 2014, state govt issued a memorandum restricting the body from taking suo motu cognisance of misconduct by police personnel. The move drew wide criticism from activists and the public, as there was an increase in the number of cases filed against cops over the past five years.
The SPCA recommended disciplinary proceedings against police officers. It even directed some to perform social service, requiring them to educate members of 10 village panchayats about the existence, functioning, purpose, and utility, as well as the procedure followed by the SPCA.
Most complaints before the authority pertain to police refusing to register FIRs. Other complaints refer to personnel assaulting the complainant when an FIR was asked to be registered. In one such case, the complainant stated he was harassed by the police while registering an FIR. Other complaints include abuse of power and arrest without valid reasons.