Two decades after a landmark Supreme Court verdict aimed to free police from political control, key reforms are being diluted. Despite these distortions, the fight for police autonomy continues, with the SC now intervening to ensure adherence to appointment norms, offering a glimmer of hope for a more accountable force.
Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh is a quiet, unassuming man who still believes that once a police officer puts on his uniform, he does not belong to any religion, caste or ideology. He is answerable to only two forces — the dispassionate values instilled by his training and the Constitution.
It was this conviction that made him approach the Supreme Court seeking police reforms that would free the force from the grip of fickle political masters. After all, a police officer can reject illegal and unconstitutional orders only if his professional career is not held hostage by politicians demanding unquestioning loyalty.
The landmark Prakash Singh verdict of Sept 2006 not only attempted to snip the umbilical cord between the police and the executive but also asked for more accountability from the force itself. Later this year, the verdict will complete exactly two decades, ample time for any reform to find its feet, even in a complex country like India.
It was this conviction that made him approach the Supreme Court seeking police reforms that would free the force from the grip of fickle political masters. After all, a police officer can reject illegal and unconstitutional orders only if his professional career is not held hostage by politicians demanding unquestioning loyalty.
The landmark Prakash Singh verdict of Sept 2006 not only attempted to snip the umbilical cord between the police and the executive but also asked for more accountability from the force itself. Later this year, the verdict will complete exactly two decades, ample time for any reform to find its feet, even in a complex country like India.