Date:15/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/15/stories/2006111517912200.htm

National

Overwhelming approval for police reforms

Special Correspondent

Chief Secretaries, police chiefs want Police Act 1861 replaced

NEW DELHI: There was overwhelming consensus at a meeting of the Chief Secretaries and police chiefs of the States and Union Territories here on Tuesday on the issue of carrying forward the agenda of police reforms and adopting a model police act, replacing the archaic 1861 Police Act.

The meeting, presided over by Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal, did not see any difference of opinion on the urgent need for police reforms and a new, model act to make the police more efficient and accountable, official sources in the Home Ministry said.

However, the officials were yet to arrive at a consensus on how to implement the September 22 guidelines of the Supreme Court, stipulating fixed-time postings for senior police officials as well as giving fixed tenure to the Directors-General of Police in the States. All the States have been asked by the apex court to file their compliance reports by early January 2007.

Complaints commission

Since law and order is a State subject, States are unlikely to let go of their control over it but are keen on pushing the police reforms agenda.

The Model Police Act was drafted and submitted by a government-appointed expert committee, headed by Soli Sorabjee, eminent jurist and former Attorney-General.

Besides the Model Police Act, the meeting discussed the proposal for setting up police complaints commission, mechanism for redressal of public grievances and ways of coping with additional expenditure on account of implementation of recommendations of the Soli Sorabjee committee.