The Centre is unlikely to accept one of the key suggestions of Justice J.S. Verma — that the Delhi police should be placed under the administrative control of the state government. While presenting the committee’s report, Justice Verma had stated that since law and order was a state subject, it was a “peculiar situation” that the Delhi police did not report to the Delhi government, an indication that the city police should be placed under the state government. Justice Verma felt this would help make the Delhi police more accountable to the state government and, in turn, positively impact the city law and order scenario.
However, ministry of home affairs sources pointed out that it is set to reject this key suggestion citing “the complex nature of policing in the national capital”.
The MHA’s view is that with a sizeable part of the capital, like the NDMC areas and the diplomatic zone, not under the Delhi government, it will be extremely difficult to divide the functioning of the Delhi police.
“Delhi cannot be compared to a full-fledged state government where law and order powers are vested with the local government. Being the national capital, the city faces unique challenges, like maintaining VIP security, dealing with important cases and coordinating with Central intelligence agencies on a host of issues,” a senior MHA official remarked.