Police Reforms in State found only on paper
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, April 17 2013: Just to convince that it has been followed the guidelines of Supreme Court of India over Police Reform measures, the Home Department of Government of Manipur is found to have cleverly brought to the notice of the apex court that it has constituted a number of institutions, but only on paper and not to knowledge of the general public.

According to highly placed source, the various institutions which the State Home Department claimed to have instituted in accordance to the guidelines of the Supreme Court included Police Establishment Board and Imphal West District Police Complaint Authority (by an order of the Home Department dated December 28, 2006); State Level Police Complaint Authority, State Security Commission and District Level Complaint Authority of Senapati district (by an order of the Home Department dated March 31, 2007) .

When the concerned authorities were enquired over the establishment and functioning of these boards/institutions that were said to have been set up through different orders of the Home Department, it was found that they do not exist at all, not to talk about their operation or function.

At best, these boards or institutions have been established only on paper, just to show to the Supreme Court that the State Home Department has been following all the directives and guidelines for police reform measures in the State, the source disclosed.

The source pointed out that acting on a writ petition filed jointly by the Assam Police; UP Police; retired IPS Officer Prakash Singh, who was the DGP of BSF; and three other individuals, the Supreme Court of India had passed an order directing the Union Government as well as all the State Governments and the Union Territories for taking up certain measures in connection with Police Reforms.

According to the directive of the Supreme Court, the State Governments have been directed to constitute a State Security Commission in every State to ensure that the State Government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the State Police and for laying down the broad policy guidelines so that State Police always acts in accordance to the laws of the land and the Constitution of the country.

The watchdog body is to be headed by the Chief Minister or Home Minister concerned of the State Governments as Chairman and DGP concerned as the ex-officio Secretary.

The apex court had also directed that there should be a Police Establishment Board in each State which shall decide all the transfers, postings, promotion and other service related matters of officers of an below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The Police Establishment Board is supposed to be a departmental body comprising the Director General of Police and four other senior police officers of the Police Department of the concerned State or Union Territories.

Furthermore, the court order directed that there shall be a Police Complaint Authority at the district level to look into complaints against police officers of the rank of DSP and above.

Moreover, there shall be another Police Complaints Authority at the State Level to look into the complaints against officers of the rank of SP and above.

The district level authority is to be headed by a retired District Judge while the State Level Authority by a retired Judge of the High Court/Supreme Court.

Since the hearing of the writ petition has not been completed now and the final decision of the case is awaited to be declared, all the State Governments and Union Territories including Manipur have been asked to respond on the directions given by the Supreme Court of India, the source said.

But for Manipur, there is nothing to be feared as the paper works have been done perfectly without any room for loopholes.

However, on the ground there is nothing to be prove that the guidelines have been actually implemented, the source added.

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