Centre holds meeting of UTs on police reforms, Model Police Act

New Delhi, Feb 1 (UNI) The Centre today held a high-level meeting with the officials of the Union Territories to elicit their views on the implementation of the Supreme Court order on police reforms and to formulate the Model Police Act which is likely to come in the Budget Session of Parliament.

The meeting convened by Home Ministry was chaired by Home Secretary V K Duggal. The meeting, which lasted three hours, was attended by Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul, the Chief Secretaries of Pudducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Home Secretary of Chandigarh Administration and Administrators of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The views of the Union Territories have been elicited as a follow up to the Supreme Court directives on January 11, dismissing the plea of the States and UTs to modify or review its earlier directives of September 22 on implementation of reforms.

The Court at that time gave four weeks time for implementing its directives in regard to selection and tenure of DGP, fixed terms of IGP and other senior police officers and composition of a police establishment board. Time till March 31 has been given for complying with its orders on setting up State Security Commissions, Police Complaint Authority and separation of investigation wing from that of law and order. The apex court had allowed the Centre to file its compliance report by April 10 after implementing the reforms by March 31.

''Though police is a state subject, the centre would formulate a Model Police Act to be implemented by the Union government and those of the UTs. Moreover, the view of the UT administration on implementation the Supreme Court directives was also taken,'' Home Ministry sources said.

The model police act, which would replace the over 150-year-old Police Act, would take steps to reduce corruption and police-mafia nexus which affects the functioning of the police. It would be based on the Soli Sorabjee Committee report, which has recommended several measures to infuse greater professionalism and insulating the force from undue interference.

The draft legislation seeks to make the police more people-friendly to enlist public participation in policing and lays special emphasis on effective performance evaluation and accountability mechanisms.

Meanwhile, the Centre has also set up a Commission on National Security and Central Police Personnel Welfare headed by the Home Minister. The mandate of the panel includes selection and placement of heads of Central Police Organisations, something not palatable to most of the States.

UNI