Now, CP’s nod must for probe, re-probe

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 22

After joining here as Commissioner of Police, RN Dhoke found that gazetted officers of the Ludhiana Commissionerate had been deciding on inquiries into fresh complaints, and re-inquiries into registered cases of all sorts at their own level, that too without keeping the top official in the loop. Now, Dhoke has issued a circular in which he has categorically directed the gazetted officers not to indulge in such practice in the future and get all such probes or re-probes signed from him before going ahead with the outcome.

It is learnt that the system is being centralised to bring transparency in policing, so no officer could impose his or her biased probe in any of the cases. This exercise is definitely going to pinch many gazetted officers who had been earlier exercising the power at their own whims and fancies.

The orders issued by Dhoke on June 21 (a copy of which is with Ludhiana Tribune) states: “It has been brought to my notice that gazetted officers have been ordering registration of cases after marking inquiries into fresh complaints directly from parties to junior officers or by doing inquiries at their own level. Even with regard to applications concerning registered FIRs, gazetted officers have become the sole deciding authority in making additions or deletion of sections from FIRs, nominating fresh accused or declaring suspects innocent after conducting a probe and surprisingly, the CP’s office is not informed about this exercise”.

The CP’s circular further states that now, without the approval of the top official, in all those cases that require addition or deletion of IPC sections in FIRs, nomination of fresh persons, acquittal of any suspect from registered FIRs, cancellation of FIRs or filing of any untraced report, no gazetted officer will decide on all these factors at his/her own level. Even the officers will not register any FIR at their own level by conducting a probe into fresh complaints. All inquiry reports or re-investigation reports should first be sent to the CP’s office for approval.

Dhoke, while confirming the development to Ludhiana Tribune, said: “This is being done to bring transparency in policing. People approach me and demand a re-probe into inquiries conducted by gazetted officers and if I start marking re-probes into cases already decided by my juniors, then it will waste a lot of time of my officers, who have a lot of other work to do. In the new system, all inquiries will be approved by me and once approved, no objection or re-probe will be allowed”.

Move to bring transparency in policing: Dhoke

This is being done to bring transparency. People approach me for a re-probe and if I start marking re-probes into cases already decided by my juniors, then it will waste a lot of time. Now, all inquiries will be approved by me and after that no objection or re-probe will be allowed. —RN Dhoke, CP