Ahmedabad, Mar 21 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court has rejected the state government’s affidavit on the status of vacancies in the police department and directed concerned officials to file a fresh one in two weeks.
The HC, which was hearing a suo motu PIL on Wednesday on measures to be taken by the state to prevent damage to public and private property, also expressed displeasure saying the affidavit was not drafted in “correct and complete manner'”.
The PIL was taken up by the HC in 2019 after a Supreme Court judgement regarding preparedness of the state police force to control people during demonstrations, protests and rallies.
The HC, in January, directed the state government to file an affidavit on the current status of vacancies in the police department and its plan to recruit personnel.
During a hearing on Wednesday before the division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee, Assistant Government Pleader Krutik Parikh said nearly 12,000 posts in various cadre in the police department were currently vacant.
However, the Chief Justice, referring to details in the state government’s affidavit filed on March 2, pointed out that nearly 23,000 posts of inspectors and sub inspectors and such personnel in the regular police and nearly 4,000 technical posts were vacant.
“As per your affidavit, you don’t have assistant intelligence officers. You don’t have technician operators. How will you run the force? What is the current position of recruitment?” the CJ asked.
The AGP responded by stating that an advertisement for recruitment had been issued and a separate entity – Gujarat Police Recruitment Board – had also been formed.
When Justice Agarwal asked whether recruitment rules had been framed and notified, Parikh said the rules were notified in February 2022.
However, when the CJ went through the affidavit, she only found a mention about combined competitive exam rules, not recruitment rules, which she stated were different.
The Chief Justice also expressed surprise that the affidavit mentioned the government was in process of notifying the Gujarat Police Recruitment Board whereas Parikh had told court the board had already been formed.
When Parikh said he needs to cross check, the CJ said “This affidavit is of March 2. Today is March 20. You should have taken complete instructions by today. Unless and until you create the Board, how can there be an advertisement for recruitment?” The issue escalated further when Parikh said it was his “presumption” that the advertisement would have been published by now.
“It’s your assumption. How can you assume? You are an advocate. Be careful of making any statement unless and until you are aware of the facts. You started (your submission) saying the government gave advertisements and have notified rules..(Now we learn that) your board is not constituted” said the Chief Justice.
Rejecting the affidavit, the HC directed the AGP to “file a fresh affidavit in compliance of order dated January 2024, within two weeks from today.” “You bring the recruitment rules, they might be in existence. Check if any recruitment drive has been started,” the CJ said in the order. PTI PJT BNM
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