The Hindu : Front Page : A tragedy of errors?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 26, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

A tragedy of errors?

Special Correspondent

Girglani

HYDERABAD: Orders issued by the Government on Friday for repatriation of non-local policemen from Hyderabad may be a tragedy of errors, at least for the 3,000 constables, head constables and Assistant Sub-Inspectors, who will now have to return to their native districts.

These orders have nothing to do either with GO 610 or the Girglani Commission's report but may have been based on an administrative error in interpreting the Presidential Order on services.

J. M. Girglani, who headed the one-man commission, said reports in the media on Saturday attributing the transfers to GO 610 were incorrect. "This issue is also not covered by the one-man commission headed by me," he added.

What the order says

In fact, the Presidential Order envisaged that the Hyderabad City Police should be a Statewide force not confined to locals. But, this message got lost somewhere along the line.

Talking to The Hindu on Saturday, Mr. Girglani sought to remove some misconceptions surrounding the transfer of policemen, an issue that also figured in the Assembly. What actually happened was that the High Court, in a judgment delivered four years ago, held that the city police were not excluded from the Presidential Order.

This was based on the appointment orders issued by the authorities to new recruits, including those posted in Hyderabad, under the A. P. Police Act. "It was a clear mistake since separate appointment orders under the Hyderabad Police Act should have been issued. This was explicitly laid down in the exclusion para of the Presidential Order."

Mr. Girglani recalled that in pursuance of this judgment, a House Committee insisted on repatriation of all non-locals. "Orders were accordingly issued, but these were stayed by the Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal. Now, that the stay seems to have been vacated, the repatriation order has become alive," he said.

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