AGENCY
New Delhi: “Nobody listens to our orders,” the Supreme Court observed on Wednesday while refusing to accord urgent hearing to a plea seeking massive reforms in police force across the country.
“Police reforms are going on and on. Nobody listens to our orders,” a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar lamented while declining the request for urgent hearing on the plea filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhayay, lawyer and Delhi BJP spokesperson.
“Sorry. Declined,” said the bench that also comprised Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul.
Upadhyay, in his plea, has sought directions to the states and the Centre to implement massive reforms in the police force including a fixed tenure for senior officers.
Earlier, the apex court had allowed Upadhyay to intervene as a party in a pending PIL on the issue of police reforms. He had sought direction to the Centre, state governments and the Law Commission to implement police reforms and the Model Police Act, 2006 to ensure an “effective and impartial police system”.
“That arbitrary and unaccountable functioning of the police has led to complete alienation of many citizens from the state. Complete politicisation of the police force has led to highly partisan crime investigation. State governments have been habitually abusing their powers to drop serious criminal charges against their supporters and foist false cases against their opponents,” the plea said.
The Model Police Act creates mechanism and processes which will help the police perform its functions more efficiently and enhance its credibility in the eyes of the public, it said. The plea sought direction for setting up of State Police Board under the chairmanship of the State Home Minister and comprising the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police among others to lay down policy guidelines for efficient policing.
