Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 5: High Court today issued notice to the Government and police on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged ‘illegal’ appointments of Special Police Officers (SPOs) as constables from 2018 till March, 2020.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice, Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta issued notice to Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary to Home department, Director General of Police and SSP Anantnag as none was present on their behalf before the court.
For petitioner, advocate Salih Pirzada was present before Division Bench who in his petition sought details of all the candidates who have been recruited / appointed on the basis of operational functions by the Director General of Police (DGP) and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Anantnag in last three years.
The petitioner submitted in his plea that the SSP, Anantnag in connivance with DGP, J&K has recruited/ appointed the Special Police Officers (SPOs) who were working on consolidated wages, as Constables in the Police Department on the basis of operational functions in the Districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam.
It was submitted that the persons appointed on the basis of operational functions were either working as SPOs with the high-profile bureaucrats or were performing the duties at the residences of police officers or many other bureaucrats.
“By indulging in this act, the SSP Anantnag and DGP, J&K police have indulged in mass scale irregularities in appointing them as Constables,” the petitioner stated.
Petitioner Mawa submitted there is a nexus going on in the Police Department and due to the present situation such recruitments in the Police Department are made with impunity.
“The appointees are illegally shown to have participated in Operational Duties, particularly in south Kashmir, when there is no scope of their proximity in the field operations. The SPOs detailed as personal guards have no occasion to perform Operational Functions, therefore, to lift the veil, the jurisdiction of this Court is sought to achieve the public interest,” the petitioner said.
It was further said that neither the Government nor Police Department has uploaded the orders of these Constables on a website as on date which manifests malice and arbitrariness on the part of concerned authorities.
“The approach of the respondent police needs to be ascertained and looked into by an agency other than the one which directly controls the Police Department. Therefore, in the fitness of things the Central Bureau of Investigation needs to be directed to take the case into their hands and investigate the matter thoroughly and submit the report to this Court,” the petitioner sought.
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