In order to restrict corrupt practices in the police force, UT Police have resumed the departmental enquiries (DEs) of total of 14 cops who are facing criminal cases or mainly were booked in the Prevention to Corruption Act.
These 14 DEs of the cops of the ranks of constables to inspectors, according to the sources were kept in abeyance for more than four years.
Notably, with numerous cops booked for graft either by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Chandigarh police in past few months, UT Police have expedited the process to filter undesirable elements who brought a bad name to the department.
These cops had submitted written requests to the police department to delay their DEs till the conclusion of their criminal proceedings.
DE, according to the police, aims to punish the person for defaming the department.
These officers had submitted that since the same witnesses appear before the enquiry officers conducting DE and before the concerned court, the witness at times change their statement amid criminal proceedings if they first appear before the police committee for DE.
“DE ideally should be completed within three months. More time can be taken in special or critical cases but it doesn’t mean that in case a court takes seven years to pass a judgment in a criminal case against a cop, DE should be kept pending till then. The aim of DE is to immediately take stringent action against the cop if he is involved in corrupt practices or illegal activities. Once DE begins, a cop cannot be dismissed and thus DEs should simultaneously be conducted with criminal proceedings so as to immediately teach lesson to the tainted cops”, a senior police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“DE ideally should be completed within three months. More time can be taken in special or critical cases but it doesn’t mean that in case a court takes seven years to pass a judgment in a criminal case against a cop, DE should be kept pending till then. The aim of DE is to immediately take stringent action against the cop if he is involved in corrupt practices or illegal activities. Once DE begins, a cop cannot be dismissed and thus DEs should simultaneously be conducted with criminal proceedings so as to immediately teach lesson to the tainted cops”, a senior police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, total of 56 cops are facing departmental enquiries in Chandigarh at present.
The long pending DEs have been re-opened after a recent order by Kanwardeep Kaur, senior superintendent of police (SSP), UT directing all the enquiry officers (inspectors and DSPs) to initiate departmental enquiries simultaneously with criminal cases.
In her recent standing order regarding the same, SSP said, “I have been receiving requests directly from police officers facing departmental enquiries in criminal cases as well as from enquiry officers for keeping the DEs pending till the decision of criminal cases. The apex court in its various judgments had held that departmental proceedings and proceedings in a criminal case can proceed simultaneously”.
SSP cited a Supreme Court’s judgment in a case titled State of Rajasthan vs BK Meena and others (1996).
The apex court emphasising the need for initiating departmental proceedings in such cases pronounced, “It must be remembered that interests of administration demand that undesirable elements are thrown out and any charge of misdemeanour is enquired into promptly. The disciplinary proceedings are meant not really to punish the guilty but to keep the administrative machinery unsullied by getting rid of bad elements”.