Evolve policy to post personnel with disabled dependents: HC

The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to formulate a policy on posting of serving armed police forces personnel who have disabled dependents at home.
The interim order was passed by a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal on three different petitions by the serving officials.
During the hearing, the bench went through September 7 last year's office memorandum whereby the policy guidelines and instructions for rehabilitation of disabled Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel and rehabilitation of disabled dependents of CAPFs personnel had been notified by the Centre.
The bench noted that the petitions related to serving personnel who were care-givers for disabled dependants.

It said the authorities needed to consider the aspect of the need of disabled dependents and are required to formulate a policy for posting of personnel who are care- givers.
"The office memorandum does not address this issue. In fact the respondents have completely misdirected themselves into formulating these guidelines for rehabilitation of disabled personnel of the force," it observed.

To this, the lawyer for the authorities sought time to re-examine the matter place the views for its consideration.
"This exercise shall be positively completed within six weeks. The guidelines so framed would apply to para military forces including the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force etc," it said.

The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on March 16.