The case for police reform

Acquitting Ajmal Kasab’s co-accused , the court came down heavily on the case presented by the police , for its overall sloppiness. That the police did such a shoddy job in such a high-profile case speaks volumes for the general state of affairs. The malaise isn’t solely inefficiency.

A whole set of ills plague police administration in India: from organisational structure, work culture, training , infrastructure to corruption, brutality and political interference . Successive governments have been promising police reform, and many a committee has been set up on the issue.

But the fact is that, in effect, we are still governed by the Police Act of 1861 — brought in to serve the interests of a colonial state in the wake of the mutiny of 1857. That the police, in the opinion of a majority of citizens, particularly the poor and deprived sections, retains more than vestiges of being a colonial-style force is almost a truism.

Clearly, the police has yet to evolve into what it is actually meant to be: a responsible and accountable public service, serving citizens rather than ruling over subjects.

Starting with the National Police Commission in 1977, committees and reports have recommended various layers of reforms for this vital institution of governance. And after the Supreme Court’s directions, an expert committee was set up in 2005 to draft a New Police Act.

The report this body produced was submitted in 2006 — with recommendations on a host of issues, from sensitivity, responsiveness and accountability to community policing.

The SC too in 2006 directed states — given that law and order, and hence policing, is a state subject — to implement measures ranging from setting up a State Security Commission to fixing tenures of officers to setting up Complaints Authorities at state and district levels.

While there have been repeated calls for improvements on extant reports, the fact is states have, on grounds of maintaining authority and preventing central interference, contested or evaded these reports and directives. Political contestations and bickering have thus stalled progress on police reforms.

Police reforms are as critical for good governance and functional democracy as for human rights. And the political class must work together for the greater public good.