The increasing cases against fighters for Goa’s cause to crush dissent by misusing CrPC is an alarming sign. History-sheeters are registered by the police under police regulations as bad characters who are likely to become habitual offenders or abettors of such criminals and kept under police surveillance to protect society. By putting people on the history sheet, turned into a wide-ranging one on how those fighting for people’s causes in Goa, are increasingly at the receiving end of the law.
Post-Independence India, the powerful tool of colonial repression continues to be a weapon of choice for preventing peaceful demonstrations and lawful protests. Its indiscriminate use in blatant violation of the rules and conditions for its use continues unchecked and for prolonged periods on the pretext of maintaining public order.
Reading the Police Standing Orders dealing with opening and retention of history sheets for different kinds of persons, such as convicts, rowdies, known depredators, suspects, and others shows that the authorities who are empowered to open and retain such sheets have to arrive at a subjective satisfaction as to whether the said persons, either by habit or disposition commit, attempt to commit, aid or abet the commission of offenses involving breach of peace.
