The number of vacancies in the police forces of various states has crossed 5 lakh, with UP alone accounting for 1/3rd of these vacancies. The Supreme Court, while hearing a PIL, directed nine state governments with most vacancies to submit a roadmap to fill up the existing vacancies.
The Supreme Court (SC) recently approved the plan submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government to recruit 30,000 police constables annually for four years starting from 2017. The SC was hearing a PIL, filed by Manish Kumar (WP(Civil) 183/2013), about the rising vacancies in the police forces of various states. As per data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha, the vacancies in police force of various state has crossed 5 lakh as of December 2016.
More Than 1.8 Lakh Posts Vacant in UP
Among the states, UP has the highest number of vacancies, with 1.81 lakh posts – around 1/3rd of all the vacancies in the country. About 15 states have more than 10,000 vacancies each, while eight states have more than 20,000 vacancies each. Four states, UP, Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat, have more than 30,000 vacancies each.
Even in terms of the percentage of vacancies, UP has more than 50 percent vacancies which is more than twice the national average. Five states, including UP, have more than 30 percent vacancies.
West Bengal Has Lowest Number Civil Police Per Lakh People
Among the bigger states, West Bengal has only 58.7 civil police per lakh people, almost half the national average of 108.
UP only has 72 civil police per lakh people while the sanctioned number is 151 per lakh people. There are also wide variations in the number of sanctioned civil police per lakh people among various states.
While a state like Punjab has 213 sanctioned civil police per lakh people, West Bengal has only 90 sanctioned civil police per lakh people.
SC Nod for Plans Submitted by UP, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu
While hearing the PIL about the growing number of vacancies in the state police force, the SC had earlier issued notices to UP, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand & Tamil Nadu and asked them to submit a definite road map for the filling up these vacancies.
In response to the SC notice, the Principal Secretary of the UP Home department submitted that they would fill all the vacancies by 2020 recruiting 30,000 constables annually starting 2017. The SC also directed the UP government not to change the Chairman of the Police Recruitment and Selection Board till the entire process is over.
Karnataka also submitted to the SC that the state would fill up all the vacancies by 2019. The Tamil Nadu government on the other hand assured the SC that all vacancies will be filled up by April 2018.
The SC asked the governments of West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand to submit a road map by 1 May 2017.
Along with these states, the SC also issued notices to the governments of Gujarat, Telangana & Rajasthan and asked to submit a road map for filling up the vacancies.
(This article has been published in an arrangement with Factly.)
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