According to citizens and activists, the Maharashtra Police Bill formalises the very practices of unwarranted political interference with everyday police management that the Supreme Court has sought to reduce
A delegation of concerned citizens recently met Maharashtra governor K Sankarnarayan urging him not to give his assent to the Maharashtra Police Bill.
The Maharashtra Police (Amendment) Act (MPA), 2014, was passed by both houses of the state legislature on 14 June 2014. The government says they aimed to give capable and well managed police.
Earlier this week a delegation of citizens and activists, led by JF Ribeiro, former Commissioner of Mumbai Police, met the governor requesting him not to give his assent to the Bill, which they allege was passed in haste without due consideration.
After the meeting, Maja Daruwala, director of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), told reporters that, “We have only been trying to press on the governor to use his powers under Article 200 of the Constitution to withhold his assent to this extremely bad Bill".
Dolphy D'Souza, convener of Police Reforms Watch in Maharashtra, said the Bill formalises the very practices of unwarranted political interference with everyday police management that the Supreme Court has sought to reduce. Hence, it must be overhauled to be made fit for purpose.
Even Prakash Singh, former director general of Police, in a letter, had mentioned that this law is important for decide the direction of policing in the state for future decades, however, the government has pushed it in little hurry without any public consultation. The citizen activists also forwarded this letter to the governor.
“Under the guise of complying with the Supreme Court’s directives on police reforms, the new Bill defeats the objective of giving the public a capable, well-managed and accountable police. It has diluted and even subverted each one of the six directions of the Court. The Bill in fact formalises the very practices of unwarranted political interference with every day police management which the Court had sought to reduce,” Singh had said in his letter.
Maharashtra Police (Amendment) Bill, 2014, passed by the Assembly, is to replace an ordinance which made amendments to the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, to set the state on the path of police reforms. It is meant to incorporate the directives of the Supreme Court on police reforms.
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politicians in the working of the
police & judiciary, which will be
enhanced by the Maharashtra Police Amendment Bill. It may be the final nail in the coffin of a fair,free,transparent and democartic way of Life, which the
common citizen aspires.
Capt Kenjle