Change in police rule, Cong cries foul HC refuses to stay promotion event
Two days before the statelevel promotion ceremony for more than 6,000 constables, the state government amended the police service rules for promotion without the cadre course, a move that drew criticism from the Congress.
The department of personnel issued a notification on September 17 to amend the rule No. 27 of the Rajasthan Police Subordinate Service Rules, 1989.
The state government is organising a state-level ceremony at the Rajasthan Police Academy on Wednesday, where 6,082 constables will be promoted to the rank of head constables.
Former chief minister and AICC general secretary (organization) Ashok Gehlot wrote a letter to the chief secretary on Tuesday to stop what he called “the misuse of government machinery in the promotion of constables”.
“The promotion of constables to the post of head constables should be stopped with immediate effect,” Gehlot wrote.
Reacting to the charges of Congress, state BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said, “The Congress is trying to create obstruction in the long due promotion of constables. In the past few weeks, the charges levelled by Congress is reflection of its frustration they have been rattled by the overwhelming response of Gaurav Yatra.”
“Provided that constables, screened under proviso in clause(b) of rule 26A for promotion to the post of head constable created in the year 2018-19 to be filled up 100% by promotion from the post of constables by screening, shall be promoted without undergoing the promotion cadre course,” said the notification.
The notification further added, “However, their (constables) obtaining further annual increment in the pay scale of head constables shall be granted only after successful completion of a course, designed specifically for this purpose by the Director General of Police.”
Chief minister Vasundhara Raje in her 2018-19 budget speech had announced to promote 6,000 constables who had served the government for 18 or more years in the department to the post of head constables.
The police department is also claiming that for the first time in the history of Rajasthan Police, 6,000 constables are being promoted at a time.
The Rajasthan High Court has refused to stay Wednesday’s state government ceremony to mark the promotion of 6,000 constables, but directed the Vasundhara Raje regime to keep an account of the expenditure.
The ruling came on Tuesday on a public interest litigation filed by a city-based advocate, Pramod Singh, seeking to halt the alleged “misuse of public funds and government machinery” for the event at which the constables would be promoted to the rank of head constable at the Rajasthan Police Academy in Jaipur.
“A division bench headed by chief justice Pradeep Nandrajog said it cannot stay the event as it was to be held on Wednesday but directed the state government to keep an account of the expenses,” advocate Madhav Mitra, who argued the case on behalf of the petitioner, said.
The government was represented by a team of lawyers led by advocate general R M Lodha and additional advocate general G S Gill. The next hearing is scheduled for September 24.
“The court went through the due process of screening adopted by the police department on the basis of documents that were placed on record and also took into account the stagnation in the department due to long delay in promotions,” Gill said.
The petition, among other things, claims that “the Rajasthan government will make arrangements for boarding and lodging of relatives of the constables / head constables who will be coming to attend the event. The government is also using public funds for organizing the event and this is misuse of public funds and government machinery.”
A special team of 10 senior police officials, under the chairmanship of director general police (DGP) OP Galhotra, was set up to organise the event.
POLITICAL TURN Govt removes cadre course criterion before promotion of 6,000 cops JAIPUR: JAIPUR: