New Delhi: City police on Friday told Delhi High Court that 21 of its officers have agreed to go on deputation to the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) to deal with safety and security at juvenile homes.
The submission was made before a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and RK Gauba by senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who said the names have been forwarded to Delhi government which will now have to decide.
The bench directed the city government to indicate its response to the police at the earliest and complete the entire exercise of deputing the officers to DWCD in four weeks.
DWCD and Delhi Police had given a joint proposal to maintain law and order at juvenile homes in the city after after some juveniles escaped from one of them and the High Court directed the city government to immediately deploy police personnel at these homes.
While 21 police officers have agreed to be deputed to DWCD, the department only requires six, the court was informed by Delhi government standing counsel Raman Duggal, adding that the process of deputation has begun.
Delhi police also said the officers were offered one rank up as an incentive for going to DWCD.
However, senior advocate and amicus curiae Anoop Bhambani expressed doubts over whether the exercise would succeed, saying as per the affidavit the list of 21 names has been drawn up in anticipation of "in-principle" approval which was to come from the government.
The list of names were drawn up by Delhi police on May 5 after the court on February 24 had expressed unhappiness over police officers' unwillingness to go to DWCD on deputation.
The court had in January this year asked Delhi government to sort out issues concerning deputation of police officers at DWCD to deal with safety and security of juvenile homes.
The court had taken suo motu cognisance of news reports on December 16, 2013, that a group of delinquent minors had escaped from an observation home after an eight-hour rampage during which they indulged in rioting, vandalism and arson.
Similar incidents had earlier taken place in other observation homes also.
