What Legal Authority To Recruit Civic Volunteers In Police? Supreme Court Asks West Bengal Govt In RG Kar Case

The bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing the suo motu case of the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata that occurred on August 9.

CJI remarked that allowing unverified recruitment of civic volunteers could lead to conferring power through political bias.

"Otherwise this a nice process of conferring political patronage on people who are totally unverified"  

The Court in his order directed the State to furnish the following aspects in its affidavit on the next hearing : (1) the legal source of authority for recruitment of civic volunteers in the State; (2) the modalities for recruitment; (3) the qualifications for recruitment; (4) the verifications carried out before the recruitment is made; (5) the institutions in which they are assigned duties; (6) the payments made to civic volunteers on daily and monthly basis and the budget outlay. 

The Court clarified that the affidavit shall "specifically disclose the process which is followed to recruit the civic volunteers and the steps taken to ensure that such volunteers do not operate in any event where sensitive establishments such as hospitals and schools which may be particularly vulnerable" 

The Court also added that data be disclosed on number of civic volunteers involved in police stations and investigation of crime. 

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy, appearing for a doctors' association, raised concern about the 'Ratire Sathi' initiative proposed by the West Bengal Government to protect women working at night shifts and about the involvement of civic volunteers. She said that the giving police powers to civilians was disapproved of by the Supreme Court in the Nandini Sundar case (Salwa Judum matter). She added that over 1500 such volunteers are now working in the State.

Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the parents of the victim, told the Court that the main accused in the case Sanjay Roy was recruited as a civil volunteer although he was already facing criminal cases of domestic violence. Roy also had access to the police vehicle registered in the name of Police Commissioner and lived in the police barracks. "So it is wrong to say that he is not associated with the police" remarked Grover. 

"This is something which we want to look closely," CJI said.

An intervenor submitted that many police stations are now under the control of such volunteers.

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, for the State, submitted that the security staff at the hospitals are now being recruited as per the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act 2005, as is done elsewhere in the country.

Also from today's hearing - Chargesheet Filed Against One Accused In RG Kar Rape-Murder Case, CBI Tells Supreme Court

NTF On Doctors' Safety Has Not Made Substantial Progress : Supreme Court Sets 3-Week Deadline

Case Title : In Re : Alleged Rape and Murder of Trainee Doctor in RG Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata and related issues | SMW(Crl) 2/2024