A DIFFERENT VIEW: Former Attorney-General Soli J.Sorabjee interacting with mediapersons at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad on Saturday. — Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: Senior police officials and those in the administration who try to interfere in the effective discharge of duties of police personnel beware! Stage is being set to create a mechanism wherein those influencing the police functioning would be treated as guilty and punished.

Former Attorney-General and member of the Police Reforms Drafting Committee Soli J. Sorabjee said here on Saturday that there was no need for the lower rank police personnel to obey "illegal" and "unconstitutional" orders, even if their superiors issued them.

They too are guilty

"Claiming that orders have been issued by superiors will not stand as defence and all those obeying the orders will be treated equally guilty," he said, adding the law should be the master of the police and they should not have political masters.

Mr. Sorabjee, who delivered the 21st Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial lecture here, said efforts were on to evolve a mechanism wherein committees comprising retired judges and civil society representatives would be constituted to receive complaints from police officials on instances of pressure being mounted on them by their superiors.

The proposed changes to the Police Act would also encompass guidelines pertaining to transfers. A fixed tenure of two years had been suggested to avoid transfers arbitrarily.

Lamenting that police stations were being treated as dreaded places, he stressed the need for building up confidence on the institution.

To the probationers

That the police had not been able to change the perception pertaining to the department was unfortunate, he said and called upon IPS probationers to usher in a new culture in the police administration that will increase confidence in the impartiality of police.

"People will turn away from the police if they feel there is no use going there," he said.

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