No one seems to be bothered much about the Supreme Court directive to implement
measures towards ensuring reforms in the police department.
The state government had unwillingly agreed to implement one or two recommendations
only after the Justice Thomas led Monitoring Committee of the Supreme Court which
had been to Bangalore, wanted to know the steps taken by the government towards
adhering to the SC ruling.
The government had then assured to constitute a Police Establishment Board and a
Police Commission, the first one to independently look into the appointment and transfer
of officials and the second one to issue policy related instructions to the department.
But incidents wherein the government denied these two boards their due rights, also took
place.
When the government cancelled the transfer orders of 64 DySP rank officers executed by
the Police Establishment Board headed by the DGP, for the sole reason that some ruling
party legislators were unhappy with it, despite not being empowered to do so, none of the
authorities of the Board dared to question it in the Supreme Court.
The DGP who ought to have pressurized for an autonomous status to the Board, has
been career minded and has not raised a voice against the government. It only means that
the Government has decently buried the Establishment Board which ought to decide on
transfer of police officials.
A Complaints Authority also need to be constituted in order to facilitate the general
public to complain whenever there has been police atrocities or over stepping of
authority.
Such authorities should have a retired magistrate as its chairman. Citizens opposing any
sort of oppression by the police department, are to be members of this Authority. But the
government has not thought in terms of constituting such committees. Though there has
been discussions in this regard in the media, nothing like that followed at the government
level.
Probably, there has arisen a situation wherein a Public Interest Litigation has to be filed
in the Supreme Court against the blatant apathy of the government towards police
reforms.
Related news: