SC sets timeline for filling vacancies in six states’ police forces

New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday fixed a timeline for recruitment of police personnel including Sub-Inspectors, head constables and the constables in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Setting the time line for the filling up the vacancies spread over four years, the bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y.Chandrachud said that for any breach of the time line indicated by the top court, the officers concerned shall be held liable.

Approving the road maps, the bench made it clear that the Chairman of the Police Recruitment and Promotion Board "shall not be changed midstream" once the recruitment process has commenced from the issuance of notification till the holding of the exam.

The order passed on Monday separately in respect of the six states would see recruitment of 19,396 Sub-inspectors (direct) and Inspector (on promotion) and 1,02,619 constable in Uttar Pradesh.

The top court by its April 17 order had asked the Home Secretaries of the six states to be present before it with the road map for filling the vacancies. It had also said that it would monitor the filling of the vacancies.

The court asked the Home Secretaries of Bihar and Jharkhand to come again on Monday as it found that their response was inappropriate.

Karnataka gave a road map by which they would fill all the vacancies by 2019.

In the course of the last hearing of the matter, the court was told that six States that head large vacancies included Uttar Pradesh (150,679), Bihar (34,532), Jharkhand (26,307), West Bengal (37,325), Karnataka (24,388) and Tamil Nadu (19,804).

Saying that it would monitor the filling-up of the vacancies, the court had said that in the first instance it would focus on Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand , West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.