HC slams Centre for not clearing additional Delhi Police force

The Delhi High Court on Thursday slammed the central government for not clearing funds to create additional posts in the Delhi Police, wondering how an inadequate force would ensure safety of women, children and elderly.

Hearing a PIL seeking measures for women’s safety in Delhi and to increase police presence, a division bench of Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva took a jibe at the central government’s approach in managing the Delhi Police force.

“You talk of technology... how many of Delhi Police personnel have bullet-proof vests? You are not even giving them basic infrastructure,” said the Bench. 

The court asked Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain to make the government’s stand clear on additional police force in Delhi by the next date of hearing, February 9.

It questioned the Union finance ministry’s expenditure department for not clearing funds meant for recruitment of additional police personnel in Delhi despite clearance from the Home Ministry.

“Two ministries are loggerhead with each other, one asking for additional police force and another not clearing it,” it said. The Delhi police is controlled by the home ministry of the central government.

Senior advocate Chetan Sharma and advocate Shailendra Babbar, appearing for Delhi police, told the court that at a total strength of 84,500 the force was “under staffed”.

In its July 2013 order, the court had asked the government to recruit an additional 14,869 personnel for Delhi Police. This would cost around Rs 450 crore.

In December 2015, the government told the court that it has sanctioned 4,227 posts in Delhi Police exclusively for separating criminal investigation from maintaining law and order.