Govt to bring Model Police bill in Parliament : Patil

New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) Home Minister Shivraj Patil today said the government will introduce a Model Police Bill in the coming budget session of Parliament to provide better and more efficient policing to the people.

Chairing the Consultative Committee Meeting of the Home Ministry here, Mr Patil said the bill would be applicable to the Union Territories and act as a model for various states as policing was a state subject. He said the Government was trying to strengthen the police machinery at all levels. The Home Minister's assurance was significant in view of the police coming under wide attacks following the incidents like Nithari.

At the Consultative Committee which met on the issue of police reforms for the first time, politicians of all hues today supported the government's move to bring a Model Police Act which included both the recommendations of the Soli Sorabjee Committee and the Supreme Court's order.

However, MPs of various state governments were reportedly opposed to the selection of senior police officials by the Union Public Service Commission as recommended by the Supreme Court judgement on police reforms. Their point was since the UPSC was a central government body and police was state subject, it would dilute the authority of the state government.

Moreover, there were also doubts whether the UPSC had the expertise to select the panel for the DGPs posting by states as it might not be aware of the performance of the state police officials which the particular state goverment would be aware of.

The members of the Consultative Committee, however, favoured fixed tenure for the DGPs and giving more autonomy to the police so that they could meet the demands of the people and become more effective and people-friendly.

They were particularly appreciative of the provisions made for community participation in policing, but they wanted Panchayats to be given due role in rural policing. The Home Minister assured that the ministry would look into how to involve Panchayats more in the rural policing.

The constitution of the State Police Board and Police Establishment Committee, procedure for selection of DGP, security of tenure of other key police functionaries and setting up of the Police Accountability Commission and District Accountability Authorities were also discussed at the meeting.

Only eleven of the 31 Consultative Committee members were present at the meeting. They included B,S. Gnanadesikan, Lalhmingliana and Dr P C Alexander of the Rajya Sabha and Nikhil Kumar, Madan Lal Sharma, Manoranjan Bhakta, Raghuvir Singh Kaushal, Sarbananda Sonowal, Omar Abdullah, Khagen Das and Brajesh Pathak of the Lok Sabha.

Others who attended the meeting included the Minister of State for Home S. Regupathy and Home Secretary V.K. Duggal.

UNI