Parliamentary committee flags lapses in recruitment of Delhi Police constables

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, July 27

An audit report of the Delhi Police revealed this week by a Lok Sabha parliamentary committee has shown that while the recruitment of Sub- Inspectors (SIs) in the Delhi Police was conducted regularly, the appointment of constables was not as consistent.

Over the past five years, instead of periodic recruitment drives, the Delhi Police had held only one major recruitment for 7,307 constable posts through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) in 2016. The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that after the 2016 recruitment, there had been no recruitment in the Delhi Police through the SSC.

In response to the audit observation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that in 2018, a total of 12,518 posts were approved for the Delhi Police as a priority measure. Out of these, 3,139 posts were to be filled initially, with the remaining 9,379 posts to be filled after the deployment of personnel and a thorough review of their performance.

However, the parliamentary panel, Public Accounts Committee (PAC), found that the Delhi Police had not even filled the initial 3, 139 sanctioned posts.

In response to the issue of stagnant recruitment, the Ministry of Home Affairs in its reply said that it had recently concluded recruitment for 10,904 vacancies which includes 5,527 newly sanctioned posts out of the total 12,518 posts approved by MHA in 2018 and the remaining arising due to retirements, a total of 8,925 offers of appointment have been issued.

The irregular recruitment pattern led to an increasing shortage in the lower subordinate cadre of the Delhi Police between 2013 and 2018, according to the audit report. The shortage was covered up slightly when 6,434 constables joined in 2018-19.

The SSC’s annual report for 2016-17 and 2017-18 showed that the commission conducted 16 events or examinations with a marginal increase in the number of candidates applying for various examinations.

The MHA in its reply to the PAC regarding the sanctioned strength said that as on March 1, 2024 – the sanctioned strength of the Delhi Police is at 94,249, meanwhile, the actual strength stands at 81,702 on the same date.

Of the sanctioned 50,890 constables, as on March 1, 42,833 are currently in force (15 percent posts are vacant).