The Hindu: Bengalore: Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
A city
advocate has lodged a complaint with the State Police Complaints Authority
stating that a few senior IPS officers had appointed six orderlies even after
the March 2017 circular that banned the practice. Earlier this month, the
Commissioner of the State Information Commission had directed the Additional
Home Secretary to ensure that the orderly system is discontinued and submit an
action-taken report.
The
government issued an order in March scrapping the orderly system, with an
amendment to provide allowances to officials to employ Group D workers to
replace the orderlies. A notice on the matter was circulated by
Director-General of Police R.K. Dutta on March 8 to all the officers having
orderlies. “Despite this, six new orderlies were appointed by a few officers,
including ADGP (Grievances and Human Rights) Sanjay Sahay and Additional
Commissioner of Police (West), Bengaluru, Malini Krishnamoorthy who are members
of the complaints authority,” said S. Umapathy, the advocate who filed the
complaint with the authority on behalf of Sudha Katwa, another advocate.
According to
the complainant, this amounts to violation of the Government Order. “This is an
inhuman practice and amounts to slavery of police constables who can be
utilised to improve policing in the State,” said Ms. Katwa.
The complainant
had filed an RTI application and obtained details about the officers who
continue to have orderlies. “A total of 81 police officers have 133 orderlies.
Of the 81 officers, 51 are IPS,” said Mr. Umapathy.
Meanwhile,
senior police officers said the constables appointed to assist them were only
followers and were not treated as slaves. According to officers, Rule 862A of
the Karnataka Police Manual allowed police officials depending on their rank to
employ orderlies from the lower rank personnel as domestic help. “We are
following the police manual. Once we get replacements, the services of the
constables will be discontinued,” said a senior police officer.
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