Mumbai: Around 300 police constables are deployed as orderlies at the houses of 130 IPS officers in Mumbai and the state government spends over Rs30 crore each year on them. Trained as cops to protect citizens and act against crimes, they drive personal vehicles, shop for their seniors, and take care of their children’s transportation to school, among other things, even though government regulations prohibit their deployment for such duties.
Retd ACP's PIL in Bombay HC
A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Rajendra Trivedi, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court against this illegal practice. The PIL was recently filed through advocate Madhavi Ayyappan before a division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Arif. In the petition, Trivedi has claimed that information was obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query in 2020.
National Police Commission opposed to practice
The National Police Commission strongly opposes the practice of orderlies, which originated during the British rule. Considering the commission’s opinion, the state government issued an order to end it but it remains only on paper.
In its report, the commission mentioned that it’s acceptable to have constables for administrative tasks, listening to complaints, and receiving phone calls from officers. However, many officials misinterpreted this and forced constables to do menial tasks like household chores, babysitting, shopping for groceries, cleaning and taking care of elderly family members.
The real issue lies in the fact that the commission allowed the hiring of someone to perform these tasks, with the suggestion that officers should receive an allowance to cover the cost, which should be borne by the state government. An anonymous official shared that the work performed by these constables is similar to that of orderlies, and they are often assigned to protect bungalows. In cities like Mumbai, there are fewer bungalows and even common officers (non-police) have been provided with these constables.
Former constable Sunil Toke said, “I have been following this matter since 2016 when I was working in the police department. I even filed RTIs. Some constables work at IPS officers’ houses for most of their careers without their rifles. They end up doing personal work like taking care of their pets, polishing shoes, ironing clothes, and even being dispatched to officers’ native places for household work.”
