After Gauhati High Court Nudge, States Take Steps To Constitute Police Accountability Commission, Train Separate 'Investigating Officers'

The Mizoram government has assured the Gauhati High Court that it will soon bring on record an affidavit relating to constitution of the Police Accountability Commission. The State has also taken steps to separate its investigation wing from the law and order wing.

Similarly, the Nagaland government has issued a formal notification for separation of both wings and has constituted State Level Police Complaint Authority and District Level Police Complaint Authority.

The development comes in a suo moto PIL registered by the High Court for implementing police reforms.

The division bench of the Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Mitali Thakuria had directed the state governments of Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to file affidavits regarding compliance of the directions issued by the Supreme Court in Manish Kumar v. Union of India and Others on police reforms.

The State of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday submitted that it has imparted training of investigation skills to 84 Investigating Officers of the Investigation Wing. It had also filed an affidavit on March 15, wherein it has stated that separation has been made in the Investigation Wing and the Law & Order Wings of the Police Department in the State.

The Assam Government also submitted that a proposal has been made to deploy minimum of 15 percent of the Unarmed Branch (UB) strength of all ranks in the Police Stations/Out Posts to be exclusively assigned for investigation duties and such Officers will not be deployed for any law and order duties, except in emergent situations.

It was further informed to the court that from the total strength of 20,130 of Unarmed Branch (UB) Officials - Inspector and below, around 3020 personnel have been assigned exclusively for crime investigation duties for the present.

Senior Government Advocate, D. Nath submitted that these shortlisted police officials will be provided specialized training for crime and investigation at the North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA)/other suitable Training Centres.

The Court was also informed that this action of designating police personnel exclusively for investigation duties shall in no manner be construed to mean that the other police personnel regularly deployed at the Police Stations will not be used for investigation purposes and that their engagement in such tasks shall not be compromised.

The matter is now listed after 4 weeks.

Case Title: XXXX v. In Re-State of Assam & 7 Ors.

Coram: The Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Mitali Thakuria

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