The Centre was asked today by the Delhi High Court to respond to a plea challenging its decision to recruit additional 1,400 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers through a special examination. A bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also asked Additional Solicitor General A S Chandhiok to place on record the files pertaining to the Centre's decision on the issue by March 28. The bench's order came on a plea by Zakat Foundation of India,a civil society,which alleged that the Union Home Ministry has decided to conduct the Limited Competitive Examination (LCE) annually to recruit additional IPS officers,despite serious objection from Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which holds the civil services examinations. "The government amended the IPS Rules and the Ministry of Home and the PMO has unconstitutionally and arbitrarily taken resort to a Limited Competitive Examination for recruitment of the IPS officers rather than increasing their intake through normal Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC," said the petition,filed through advocate Ambar Qamaruddin. Claiming that it acquired the information on the issue through a plea under the transparency law,the civil society said LCE would be held annually for those serving at major or captain level officer in Army,Navy or Air Force or as deputy superintendent of police in a state or union territories or as assistant commandant in central police organisations for five years or more. Appearing for civil society Zakat Foundation of India,senior counsel N K Kaul said the Union government has decided that in addition to normal annual intake of new officers in IPS,an additional number of IPS officers shall be freshly recruited every year for the next few years from 2012. The civil society also objected to the new channel of recruiting IPS officers,alleging that it would further bring down the Muslim community share in the police service at the crucial level. Referring to the Sachar Committee recommendations,the lawyer said,"There are not more than 2.5 percent Muslims in the civil services including IPS. All the minorities taken together also constitute 7 percent in civil services while total minority share in the national population is 19 percent." "But in the proposed feeder cadre,Muslims are less than one percent and all minorities 4 percent. Hence,through the LCE the number of Muslims recruited will be either zero or just to be counted on fingertips," the lawyer said.
