Taking in to account the number of vacant posts, the bench — also comprising of Justices DY Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul — directed the Home Secretary or the Joint Secretary to prepare and submit a definite road map to fill up the vacant posts.
The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its concern over the large number of vacant posts in the police department and pulled up six states that topped the list. The Chief Justice asked Bihar, Jharkand, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu what efforts they had undertaken to fill up the vacancies.
Taking in to account the number of vacant posts, the bench — also comprising of Justices DY Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul — directed the Home Secretary or the Joint Secretary to prepare and submit a definite road map to fill up the vacant posts. The bench also ordered the presence of the officer concerned in court on Friday.
The order came on the heels of a petition filed by advocate Manish Kumar, who highlighted the issue of vacancies in the police force across the country. In his petition, Kumar said that due to the shortage of police personnel, there was a deterioration in the situation pertaining to law and order.
Kumar referred to a 2015 report which claims there is a total of more than five lakh vacancies across the country. Kumar pleaded for a direction to the states and Union territories to "fill up the vacant posts in the police and state armed forces so that the police forces do not remain overburdened."
The petition also seeks a direction for the constitution of a Police Commission to deal with issues including allegations of police excesses, and redressal of grievances of police personnel and to make recommendations for welfare of the force. The petition also seeks periodic training, upgradation of police force and fixed working hours.
States with highest police vacancies
Total vacancies - 4,42,842
Bihar - 34,521
Jharkand - 26,303
Karnataka - 24,399
Tamil Nadu - 19,803
Uttar Pradesh - 1,51,679
West Bengal - 37,325
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