Top cops have egg on their faces

Hyderabad: The ghosts of the past would haunt the top police brass of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments in the coming days. Bungling in postings and promotions of Circle Inspectors (CIs) and Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) has led to the top cop being hauled over the coals by the Supreme Court last Monday.

The Apex Court threatened to put the DGP and other officials behind bars for failing to implement its order on granting promotions to police officers in Andhra Pradesh after a contempt petition was moved. The judges pointed that the DGP and Principal Secretary (Home) had failed to implement its orders before the appointed day of Telangana State on June 2.

Following the SC order, the Telangana government demoted 41 DSPs who were given out-of-turn promotions, while promoting 28 CIs on Saturday.

The senior police officials put the Apex Court’s order in cold storage for more than four years. On September 9, 2009, the Apex Court had ruled that the City Police should be considered as a separate entity and not part of Hyderabad Range. It further held that the cadre recruited under Section 3(B) of Hyderabad City Police Act be exempted from Para 14 (F) of the Presidential order.

The Apex Court sought clarification from the government about the basis and systems adopted for promoting police officials. As per the procedure, the police department should prepare year-wise panels containing lists of eligible police officials for promotion. For some inexplicable reason, the police higher-ups in AP went on giving ad hoc promotions deviating from the procedures.

The next hearing of the same is on July 21. The top cops will comply to the Supreme Court orders and submit the corrections compiling to the judgement. But in a haste to comply to the Supreme Court orders, will the police department commit errors of not making correction of the ad hoc promotions questions one of the officers who has approached the Apex Court? The aggrieved police officers have decided to contest the corrections submitted to the Apex Court. They feel that it is necessary that ad hoc promotion be corrected first, else the same issue of promotions will arise six months later.

It may be recalled that the united Andhra Pradesh was divided into six zones for administrative convenience. The personnel below the rank of CIs could be transferred within the zone while DSP post is considered a state level rank. The successive governments violated the zonal guidelines and termed the City Police as seventh zone. In 1983, as many as 220 Sub-Inspectors (Sis) were recruited through the APPSC under Group II-A category while about 110 SIs were posted in the City Police bypassing the zonal laws.

This had adverse impact on promotion of officers in Hyderabad Range. Retired Additional Superintendent of Police Sardar Harihar Singh recalled humiliating experience of officers from Telangana when they put their case before their seniors.

“You don’t understand English said a senior officer in the DGP office when I pointed out that there are only six zones and Hyderabad is not a free zone,” he said. To prove his point, he approached the administrative tribunal but lost the case. Then he moved the High Court when his batch mate Venkatnarayana from Zone IV was illegally transferred to Zone V and promoted on the basis of new zone seniority.

The full bench of AP High Court said there was no separate zone for Hyderabad Capital City and it was part of the Zone VI. The ruling on the City Police once again focussed on violation of Presidential order and stressed the need to protect the interests of locals.

The HC order was challenged in the Supreme Court. On October 9, 2009, the Apex Court considered the cadres organised into City Police as a separate entity as they were recruited under Hyderabad City Police Act Fasli 1348 and exempted them from 14 F of the Presidential order.

It is pertinent to note that the Commissioner of Police has informed an RTI petitioner that “No recruitment was done under Hyderabad City Police Act Fasli 1348.” This could open floodgates for litigation for years to come.

“The IPS officers get time bound promotions while their subordinates are subjected to severe hardships. No DPC is constituted for long time and promotions are made on ad hoc basis for last 24 years.

It is almost a full time job for our batch mates fighting for our cause,” remarked an Intelligence officer on the condition of anonymity. The legal battle is not yet over as the Apex Court said the aggrieved parties would raise their objections to its order.