Stop routine arrests, HCs, police chiefs told

Stressing on the values of personal liberty and its centrality, the Supreme Court on Monday directed all high courts and director generals of police (DGPs) of states and Union territories to immediately issue instructions to stop arresting people routinely in cases where alleged offences carry a maximum punishment of up to seven years in jail. Lamenting rampant violations of the apex court's 2014 judgment that asked police not to mechanically arrest people, the court ordered the directions issued in its previous judgment will be modelled as notifications and guidelines to be circulated by all high courts and DGPS to district court judges and police authorities.

- Utkarsh Anand

A bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and Aravind Kumar cited the Supreme Court judgment Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar, laying down that investigating agencies must refrain from arresting the accused for offences entailing punishment of up to seven years in jail without explicitly specifying the need to do so. A trial court shall not approve the detention unless satisfied by the reasons cited by police, the 2014 judgment said.