Union government gets a sharp reprimand from HC
The Delhi HC expressed disapproval as the Centre cut "down its initial requirement of 64,000 personnel to only 14,000" in the Delhi Police. It reprimanded the Union government for not issuing funds to the Delhi Police for generating supplementary posts and "recruitments for law and order duties." The court questioned the need for the police to work under the "dictates of the Centre".
Delhi was a Union Territory till 1991 when the 69th amendment of the Constitution gave it a special status with powers being given to the elected government. The amendment fell short of making Delhi a full state, excluding Delhi police and public order from state government's purview. 'Public Order', and Police in Delhi, the National Capital Territory, fall under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
According to data revealed by the Delhi Police annual review, crime in Delhi in 2014 rose drastically. The number of rape cases went up by 31% while murders saw an increase of 15%. Nearly 6,200 cases of robbery were registered.
In the wake of the murder of a 19-year-old girl in Delhi for protesting against harassment, and the alleged police inaction, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal criticized the Delhi police for the "deteriorating" law and order situation. In an open letter, he requested the PM to either spare time for law and order in the national capital or give police control to the state government.
Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi in July 2015, remarked that it would be a "very unfortunate" day in the history of the capital if the Delhi Police comes under the city government and its functioning under the Centre's jurisdiction was "perfect".
After the brutal rape of two children in Delhi, Kejriwal government was contemplating approaching the SC "to fix accountability" of Delhi Police. Hitting out at police he said, "Repeated rape of minors is shameful and worrying. Delhi Police has completely failed to provide safety." He also reiterated the handover of Delhi police to state, saying Modi was "answerable" if he wants police under center.
Kejriwal who said he was no Sheila Dixit and will not let PM sleep peacefully, faced heat from Congress who called for his resgination for failing to prevent crimes on women and children. Former AAP leader Prashat Bhushan accused Kejriwal of having double standards. Bhushan recalled Kejriwal's tweet asking Sheila Dixit to resign during Nirbhaya rape and reminded the similarity of both the situations.
Amidst atrocities against women and children in Delhi in the past few weeks, CM Arvind Kejriwal has again asked PM Modi to hand over law and order of the state to his government. Kejriwal tweeted, "Modiji, stop being stubborn and let us work together. Give control of the Anti Corruption Bureau and Delhi Police to the Delhi government. We'll fix things within a year."
