Karnataka govt approves proposal to empower police board to transfer officers for misconduct, dereliction of duty

“In such cases, orders for the transfer of officers should be issued urgently, as at present these transfers are not within the scope and competence of the competent authority. There is a possibility of delay in submitting the proposal to the government and in obtaining the order,” the cabinet was informed.

Since the PEB has the power to appoint officers up to the rank of deputy superintendent of police, the state home ministry has proposed an amendment to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, to allow it to decide on transfers for dereliction of duty and misconduct. The cabinet has accorded approval for the change in law, Law Minister H K Patil said after the cabinet meeting.

Politics and police postings

The proposal comes amid a situation where police postings are known to be politically dictated to the convenience of ministers and local legislators, and several instances of alleged police misconduct, including arrests for corruption and even the issuance of notices under laws yet to be passed.

Last year, the Congress government moved a law to ensure police officers in operational roles in the state have a minimum two-year tenure, instead of a year, in order to have better control of crime and law and order across the state.

The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed to “enhance minimum tenure of police officers in operational duties from one year to two years”. This change was intended to help police officers “understand the jurisdiction in a better manner; to build good relations with the public and in detection and prevention of crime”.

The minimum tenure of one year for police officers was considered a hindrance to law enforcement in an environment where police transfers are politically dictated and not really subject to the wishes of the police top brass.

There has, however, been political lobbying in recent days for reverting to the old system of one-year tenures, which the government has not succumbed to.

While the Karnataka government amended the Karnataka Police Act in 2013 to establish the PEB to carry out transfers of officers at the end of their one-year tenure, political interference in transfers has become the norm in the state. The rampant corruption in the transfers of police officers is seen as a hindrance to effective, clean, and people-friendly policing in Karnataka.