Vacancies in police: SC summons home secretaries of six states
17 April 2017 5:54 PM GMT
The Supreme Court on Monday sought the personal appearance of home secretaries or authorised joint secretaries of six states, including Uttar Pradesh, next week to provide a definite roadmap to fill up the long-pending vacancies in the states' police forces.
The apex court expressed dismay over the huge backlog in the vacancies in police departments of the states, which also include Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and said, "we have been persuading you (states) to fill the vacancies since 2013, but you are not doing anything".
A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul then referred to details and said Uttar Pradesh has 1.51 lakh vacancies, West Bengal has 37,325, Karnataka has 24,899, Jharkhand 26,303, Bihar 34,500 and Tamil Nadu has 19,803 posts vacant.
Initially the bench asked the counsel, representing these states, about the steps taken so far to fill up the vacancies.
On being dissatisfied with the responses, the bench decided to summon the home secretaries or an officer not below the rank of joint secretary, authorised by the home secretaries, to personally appear on April 21 and assist it in dealing the issue of filling up of vacancies.
"Why this is happening," the bench asked the counsel for UP and then came down heavily on Tamil Nadu which informed it that advertisements have been put out for the vacancies.
"Giving advertisements is the first step. You (Tamil Nadu) have taken the first step since 2013," the bench said adding, "We endeavour to monitor the filling up of vacancies."
The bench, perusing details of vacancies, said, "we therefore, hereby, direct the home secretaries of six states to assist this court personally or nominate an officer, not below the rank of joint secretary, and provide a definite roadmap for filling up of vacancies."
The apex court fixed the plea filed by Manish Kumar for monitoring by it on April 21.
Earlier, the court had directed home secretaries of all the states to file affidavits giving details of vacancies in police services at all levels.
It had said that if any of the states do not file the affidavit, it would "ensure the presence of home secretaries along with necessary records to assist the court in disposal of the matter.
The apex court was hearing the 2013 petition which claimed that law and order situation in the country was deteriorating due to a large number of vacancies in police services at all levels across all states.
SC seeks Chhattisgarh, CRPF response on encounter killings
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Chhattisgarh Government and CRPF to respond to a petition seeking transfer of a plea pending in the High Court for a court-monitored probe into alleged extra-judicial killings in the state.
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta issued notices to the state government and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) after it was told that the apex court is already seized of a similar matter dealing with identical questions of law which has been raised.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, told the bench that the apex court was dealing with the matter filed by Nandini Sundar and the issues raised in the plea before high court was similar to the one which is being adjudicated upon here.
He said that the matter pending in the high court should be transferred to the apex court.
The apex court, in July 2011, had declared as illegal and unconstitutional the deployment of tribal youths as special police officers or members of 'Salwa Judum' or any other force in Chhattisgarh in counter-insurgency against the Maoist.
The order had come on a petition filed by Nandini Sundar and others.
During the hearing today, Bhushan said the high court had refrained from going ahead with the matter pending before it as the apex court is already hearing a similar matter.
The plea, filed by Suneeta Pottam, Munni Pottam and an NGO women against sexual violence and state repression, said the matter pending in the high court "deals with several extra judicial executions by police and security forces that have occurred in the state of Chhattisgarh during the course of the counter-insurgency campaign".
Malegaon Blast: No need for custody of accused, NIA to SC
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday told the Supreme Court that there was no need to keep the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case in judicial custody as a charge sheet has been filed in the matter.
A bench of Justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre was told by counsel for NIA that they were not pressing any more for the custody of accused in the case. "Charge sheet has been filed in the case and argument on framing of charges is going on and at the moment the agency is not pressing for police custody of the accused," the counsel said.
The bench after recording the submission adjourned the matter for further hearing.
Lt Col Shrikant Purohit and other accused Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi, have moved apex court saying that the investigation has remained incomplete with NIA failing to file charge sheet and his detention without trial is illegal.
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