Committee set up on national security and police personnel welfare

New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) The Union Government has informed the Supreme Court as per its directions a committee on National Security and Central Police Personnel Welfare, headed by the Union Home Minister, has been set up to look after the interests of the members of Central Para Military forces (CPMF) and coordinate the functioning of central forces.

Union Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi, in his affidavit filed yesterday, also told the apex court that the new Police Act was also in the process of being enacted.

In this context, the Union Home Minister held a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the states in the country on December 30 last year.

The Union Government sought three months to finalise the details and comply with the directions of the court.

According to the affidavit, the process of modernisation of all paramilitary forces is in progress.

The government also informed the court that the NSC under the Prime Minister was already functioning to oversee all security related issues.

The government further said the process to review issue pertaining to the service condition of the CPMF personnel and to make appropriate recommendation was also under the supervision of the Committee on National Security and Central Police Personal Welfare. The committee is headed by the Union Home Minister and includes the National Seciurity Adviser, Cabinet Secretary, Union Home Secretary and IB Director and, if considered relevant or imperative, the CPMF Chief concerned may also be invited.

According to the government, in the Home Ministry there is a full time secretary looking after the task of border management, which includes the deployment of border guarding forces and other related matters, under the overall direction and control of the Union Home Minister. To top it all there is a Cabinet Committee on security to oversee all security related matters. The Union Cabinet has an overreaching role to supervise, guide and issue direction on all security aspects, it added.

The Gujarat government, however, urged the court to reconsider the direction given in the order dated September 22 last year.

According to the Gujarat Chief Secretary, it is not possible to set up a State Security Commission. An unwaranted influence or pressure by any authority upon the state police is a salutary measure and the state police should always act in accordance with the laws of the land having allegiance only to the constituion of the country, he added.

The affidavit also says that the constitution of a State Security Commission is likely to undermine the jurisdiction and power of a constitutionally established government in a state and would work as a parallel body which is not accountable to the people of the state.

The state also objected to the idea of including leader of Opposition as member of the said Security Commission and also for separating two forces in Gujarat, one maintaining law and order and the other fully responsible for investigation of offences and crime would entail an additional burden of Rs 100 crore per year on the state exchequer.

A majority of the tates sought more time for implementing the direction of the court issued on a petition filed by former Uttar Pradesh DGP Parkash Singh.

The Andhra Pradesh government also took the stand similar to that of Gujarat.

UNI