Chennai cops resort to externment

Jul 03, 2013

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Chennai: The Chennai police will soon be using the age old provision of externment of criminals (forcing them out of Chennai) as a tool to tackle habitual criminals in the city. Though the Chennai city police Act always had the provision of ‘nadu kadathal’ (externment) the city police had not used it in recent history.
According to an official, a senior-level meeting of police officials, chaired by city commissioner of police S. George, had given the green signal for the use of section 51A of the police Act (power to direct to removal of persons from the city in special cases).
“It may be an age old provision. But it will help keep the city, which has over 85 lakh people and spread over 900 sq km, free from crimes. The Mumbai police are using it very effectively,” said a senior police official.
The top brass in the city police believe that criminals from other districts are attracted to Chennai because it is the financial and industrial hub of the state. “In a number of incidents, we found that criminals do not reform despite being arrested and punished by courts. Once back from jail, they continue to operate in the same area, even more powerfully. So, we believe that externment could be an effective crime control tool,” a senior official pointed out.
The Act allows the police to send a person or gang out of the city if his acts are causing or are expected to cause danger to people and property. The Act also says that the police can send a person out of Chennai if the witnesses are not willing to come forward to give evidence against such persons fearing for their safety.
The person who breaks the externment order can be imprisoned for a period of two years, says the Act.

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