Chavan’s latest: 5% constable posts for cops’ children

However, the political leadership remained unmoved.

Last October, a committee led by Home Minister R R Patil had recommended such a reservation for policemen’s children. It had proposed to pare down an existing reservation for recruitment for all category of Class-C state jobs, where 10 per cent posts in the general category are reserved for graduates and diploma holders either on part-time or full-time basis. It was also proposed that this be restructured for recruitment of police constables, with 5 per cent posts being diverted to the wards of policemen, and only 5 per cent to be retained for graduates and diploma holders. Out of the 5 per cent proposed quota for children of policemen, it was proposed that 3 per cent should go to the children of policemen who retire while in service and the remaining 2 per cent for families of policemen who die in the line of duty.

Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal and the police establishment board, of which he is the senior most member, has backed the new proposal arguing that the existing quota has become redundant in case of police recruitment.

While the new proposal justifies the “differential treatment” arguing that policemen face threat to life and are subjected to “serious burden” for guarding law and order in the state, both the GAD and the Law and Judiciary Department have claimed the proposal violates constitutional provisions for “right to equal” treatment in privileges and liabilities imposed.