Himachal Pradesh Amendments: Shielding Public Servants or Eroding Accountability?

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly has passed a bill amending the Police Act to protect public servants from unnecessary legal action, while also centralizing recruitment for certain police ranks through the Police Recruitment Board. Opposition BJP members raised concerns about potential protection for corruption.

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a controversial bill on Friday aiming to shield public servants from undue legal challenges during their service. The Himachal Pradesh Police (Amendment) Bill 2024, introduced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, aims to remove the need for district and state cadres for specific police roles.

The bill proposes that recruitment for non-gazetted police officers Grade-II be conducted through the Police Recruitment Board, centralizing the process. During the legislative discussion, Sukhu assured that anti-corruption measures would remain intact and criticized opposition concerns as unfounded.

Despite these assurances, BJP legislators such as Trilok Jamwal and Randhir Sharma argued the amendment undermines accountability, asserting it contradicts the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita's principles and protects corrupt officers. They called for the withdrawal of this provision.

(With inputs from agencies.)