High-level meet on police reforms next week

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on January 13, 2007

Hyderabad: With the Supreme Court rejecting its plea to review its judgment on implementing police reforms, the State Government will convene a high-level meeting next week to decide the future course of action.

The State Government may either appeal against the apex court’s directive or simply decide to abide by the judgment.

The Supreme Court has directed that States should follow the process of consulting the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in finalising the appointment of director-general of police (DGP) with a minimum two-year tenure.

Would this disturb newly-appointed DGP M A Basith who has only ten months’ service left? He will not be disturbed as the UPSC consultation will be required for appointing the next DGP.

‘‘At the same time, since Basith has not gone through the UPSC process he cannot have a two-year tenure,’’ sources told Express.

The three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the chief justice, yesterday directed Andhra Pradesh and other States which filed affidavits explaining the problems in initiating reforms in the police set-up that they should implement four of the six directions by the end of this month and the remaining two by March 31.

The directions which have to be implemented by January-end include fixing two-year tenure for the director-general of police, separation of law & order maintenance from investigation, tenures of officers from IG to station house officer and also setting up a police complaint authority.

The other two directions – establishing State Security Commission (SSC) and Police Establishment Board (PEB) – have to be complied with by March 31.

While the State Government has no objection to setting up PEB and bifurcate the law & order and crime wings, it has urged the Supreme Court to review the remaining four directions.

The SSC comprises Leader of the Opposition and five independent persons who will evaluate the performance of state police and prepare a report which will be placed before the legislature along with the comments of the government.

The government, however, is not keen on having ‘outsiders’ who are not in the government or in the Cabinet in discharging the functions as it will give them an opportunity to interfere in law and order matters.

With regard to selection of DGP, the powers that be feel that it is the prerogative of the State Government since police administration is in the State List and referring to UPSC amounts to encroaching upon the federal powers of the State.

On minimum tenure for IGP and the officials, the government has been following the policy of not transferring any officer who has put in less than three years of service. But some transfers were called for before the end of the tenure on administrative grounds and in public interest.

Having a Police Complaint Authority may become ineffective as it would demoralise the police officers, the government said.

Steps to separate law & order and investigation in major cities like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Guntur have already been taken.

The government is also willing to constitute PEB with the home minister as chairman, principal secretary (home) as vice-chairman and DGP as member-convener along with four senior IPS officers – additional DGP (law & order), additional DGP (admn), additional DGP (intelligence) and additional DGP (CID) as members.