The Supreme Court's latest landmark verdict against police's century-old discretionary powers concerning arrest, detention and remand is a bold judicial pronouncement in favour of people's liberty and fundamental rights.

Eminent jurists and human rights activists hailed yesterday's Supreme Court verdict, expressing the hope that it would stop the misuse of power by law enforcers regarding arrest, detention in custody, remand and interrogation.

The police have finally lost the century-old wide discretionary powers concerning arrest, detention in custody and remand, as the Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court verdict against the arbitrary use of their sweeping authority. The HC verdict delivered on April 7, 2003 asked the government to amend some provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1898, which provided the police with the controversial powers, for their inconsistency with the constitution.