HC bins plea of J&K cop sacked for skipping duty over terror threat
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court dismissed a petition from a Special Police Officer (SPO) who sought reinstatement after being sacked for failing to report for duty due to terror threats. The court ruled that SPOs do not hold civil posts and are not entitled to the same protections as permanent police officers.
Why it matters
It clarifies the legal status and limited job security of temporary police personnel in conflict-prone regions.
Srinagar: Only God can save this country if a police officer, of whatever rank, gets frightened by terrorists’ threats and refuses duties, J&K high court has said while dismissing a cop’s petition for reinstatement.“The justification provided by the petitioner for not attending his duties is unacceptable, to say the least,” a single bench of Justice Sanjay Dhar said in its Monday order. The judge rejected special police officer (SPO) Hemo Hamid Wani’s argument that he was entitled to the “same powers, privileges and protections available to ordinary officers of police under Police Act”. The HC pointed out that “SPOs do not hold any civil posts regulated by statutory rules”.Residents of a neighbourhood are appointed SPOs “for specific purposes when the force ordinarily employed for preserving peace is not sufficient”.
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