The Union Cabinet’s nod to 33 per cent reservation for women in the Delhi Police as well as in other Union territories — at constable to sub-inspector levels — sets a powerful precedent for affirmative action. The decision, it may be hoped, will help to strengthen the processes of securing gender justice. It must, of course, be mentioned that like in other path-breaking welfare measures from land reforms to rural employment guarantee scheme, even here the Centre is only replicating what has been pioneered by state governments. The Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat governments introduced similar quotas for women in their respective police forces between 2013 and 2014. Not just in the police, the Anandiben Patel government announced 33 per cent reservation for women in all government jobs last October. Now with the central government replicating this model in the police department directly under its control, there are distinct chances that other state governments will follow suit. The importance of correcting the skewed gender representation in the police force as compared to other government departments cannot be overstated. Women — traditionally — have been under-represented in the police force. In August 2013, the percentage of women in UP was just 1.49, in Bihar 2.18, in Andhra Pradesh 2.27, and in Madhya Pradesh 3.93 per cent.

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After the December 16 gang-rape case, the Centre sent repeated advisories to states to ensure the recruitment of more women in the police force. States like Maharashtra did heed that advice. But the majority of states ignored it. But now the Centre’s advisories will have the moral backing of translating words into actions. Interestingly, unlike the legislative backing for women’s reservation in local self-governing bodies or for caste reservations in government jobs and higher education, none of these quotas for women in the police force have the necessary statutory shield. Perhaps, the possibility of a legislative route should be examined because past experience of executive orders is that they do not enjoy the same sanctity as the statute book. While amending the Gujarat Civil Service Rules 1997 that provided for 30 per cent reservation for women and raising it to 33 per cent, the state admitted that this criteria was not being followed, which revealed the lacunae of executive orders. Beyond technicalities, what is sought to be rectified is this shameful reality: India’s workforce participation of women, at 29 per cent, is among the lowest among comparable economies like China, Brazil, and Russia which are in the 57-64 per cent range. In fact, India does better than just 20 countries in female workforce participation, and surprisingly, the participation is higher among women in rural than urban India. 

The hiring of more women police officers should be perceived in the context of increasing gender violence. The Verma Committee had recommended that only women police officers record the statements of victims of sexual assault but that is an impossible task given the present gender ratio in the police force. Many victims of violence shy away from reporting rapes as the prospect of walking into a male dominated and aggressively patriarchal police station terrifies them. However, it has also been observed that like their male counterparts, women police officers, too, tend to follow patriarchal norms. At the lower rungs of the police hierarchy, women officers are often forced to do the bidding of the male officers. Women must be promoted to higher positions of power in order to make a real difference to the functioning of the police force.

Recall that the UPA government — despite its repeated public commitments to 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and assemblies — failed to pass the legislation during its 10-year tenure. The present BJP-led NDA government, too, has publicly stated its concern about the status of women and the need to end the violence against women. But the question is, will the BJP, with its majority in Lok Sabha, seize the initiative to finally pass the Women’s Reservation Bill?