SC raps states on police reforms

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped states on pending police reforms.

New Delhi: Chief Secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were on Tuesday summoned by the Supreme Court for their failure to file affidavits on implementation of its direction on police reforms.

Sending a clear message that the indifference of state governments on implementing its slew of directions on police reforms would not be tolerated, the apex court directed the top bureaucrats of the four states to appear before it on July 31 for informing what steps they are taking on police reforms.

"Let Chief Secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh appear on the next date to assist their counsel in furnishing detail information on implementation of Prakash Singh judgement on police reforms," a bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi said.

"We are pained to summon them. We avoid passing such an order in all circumstances but we are forced to," the bench said, adding "things will not improve unless some officers are convicted and punished for contempt of court for not following order."

The court had on April 25 directed the Chief Secretaries to file affidavits relating to compliance of the apex court`s directions on police reforms and constituting State Security Commission(SSC).

The apex court had earlier also expressed its annoyance with the approach of state governments to non-compliance of its directions on police reforms.

PTI

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