The Supreme Court has refused to stay an Allahabad high court order threatening to initiate contempt of court proceedings against top officials of the UP government for not implementing the court’s earlier order, reinstating police constables recruited during the previous political regime. That order had directed the government to distinguish between “genuine” recruits and those appointed through irregular means. The high court held the view that all 20,000 constables could hardly have been appointed illegally. The government stand was that since the recruitment process was vitiated, it was not necessary to segregate the candidates for appointments — and that that would have been a difficult exercise in practice.
It is a fact that large-scale corruption and irregularities in the recruitment of constables had come to light in UP, exposing gross political interference in the recruitment of subordinate police staff. Indeed irregularities and corruption in the recruitment of police constables have assumed scandalous dimensions not only in UP but in quite a few other north Indian states and become a blot on police administration. In UP, 22,000 policemen were recruited in the Samajwadi Party’s tenure between 2004 and 2006. Irregularities included the flouting of established recruitment procedures, the waiver of police verification in order to recruit people with criminal records, the forgery of examination papers and caste certificates and changing of laid-down criteria for selection.
Constables matter. They constitute nearly 80 per cent of the police force. They have maximum visibility today and no longer play the predominantly mechanical role assigned by the Police Commission 1902. Constables have to apply their minds, exercise their judgment, persuade, appeal and enforce the law. The constabulary are the cutting edge of police administration, and their behaviour impacts the public mind.
What happened in UP is shocking and scandalous. There was heavy political pressure on the recruiting officers to select candidates based on an already-drawn up list, prepared, apparently, on caste, political and pecuniary considerations. (Each appointment apparently cost between rupees one and four lakh. Many young recruits took out loans or mortgaged land.) Then, the selection board at different recruitment centres was packed with obliging officers. Third, the list was sent to the officer panels. Finally, the panel then selected the candidates, by lowering interview yardsticks or even allowing outsiders to write answer papers.
In UP, a private firm was hired to check objective-type answer sheets; in several, whitener was used to erase old answers. Officers who didn’t toe the line were humiliated and sidelined. I know of two who were hounded and stripped of authority because they weren’t accommodating. The UP police isn’t alone; similar modus operandi were detected in the selection of CRPF candidates recently, causing a number of officers including an IGP to be indicted. Earlier, in Orissa, the state Vigilance Bureau had launched criminal cases against the then-DG of Police and a number of senior officers for corrupt recruitment.
However, the decision of the Mayawati government to annul the recruitment of all 20,000 constables was hasty, ill-advised and possibly politically motivated. It was also administratively improper to arrest some of the officers allegedly involved before investigation against them is completed. That led to a loss of morale, and cynicism in police ranks. Natural justice demands we distinguish between genuine recruits and those appointed through irregular means so that the former do not suffer for the transgressions of the latter.
The Committee on Police Training, 1972, provided several recommendations for recruitment. For constables, it recommended at least a high-school examination. Educational levels were raised in most states. However, in states like West Bengal, with a view to recruiting people owing allegiance to the Party, the Gore committee’s recommendations were cast aside. Its long-term consequences on discipline and efficiency were disastrous.
Policemen who pay heavily to join will become venal from day one, extracting money from the public to recover their investment. Criminals in uniform will crowd the force. Now, after 26/11, the Centre has asked the states and paramilitary forces to fill up vacancies. The UP story must not be repeated.
Fortunately, there are silver linings. States like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi have streamlined recruitment procedures; they are now free, fair and transparent and, by and large, insulated from extraneous influence. There is no reason as to why this cannot be done elsewhere. Political will is needed. But then, unfortunately, it is politics which lies at the heart of the problem.
This, again, highlights the need for police reforms that can insulate the force from extraneous pressure and incentivise the selection of upright officers of proven integrity for important assignments. Constant interference in transfers, postings and recruitment must end. Otherwise, malpractice and corruption in police recruitments will continue — and deal a deathblow to police integrity and discipline.
The writer is a former director of the National Police Academy, and is currently associated with the Institute for Social Sciences in New Delhi express@expressindia.com
URL: http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20090625/1241/top-the-roots-of-corruption.html