Judiciary is one of the stakeholders in police reforms: SC

The Supreme Court today said the judiciary was also a stakeholder in the process of police reforms as the scientific investigation by trained persons was an essential ingredient of the criminal justice system.
"So far as quality of investigation is concerned, we are also one of the stakeholders. The scientific investigation is essential," a three-judge bench of justices T S Thakur, R K Agrawal and Adarsh Kumar Goel said.
The court, which is monitoring implementation of its 2006 directions to state governments on police reforms following a petition filed by retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, cited a murder case from Uttarakhand which was probed by a 'patwari' (land revenue officer), said "these are the practical difficulties".

On issues including the separation of investigation and law and order wing in the police, the bench said it would like to have the views of the chief of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) which was set up in 1970 to suggest measures to the Centre to modernise police forces.
"You (Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar) ask the Bureau Chief (of BPR&D) to visit us in the chamber," the bench said.
During the hearing, the Solicitor General, appearing for the Centre and Bihar, defended the state legislation on police reforms saying adequate steps have been taken to ensure that certain class of offences were probed only by efficient senior officers.

Earlier, the court had said the separation of investigation and law and order was core to police reforms.
It had asked state governments to respond as to what actions they have taken in the last eight years since it passed the order on the issue.
The bench had said other issues, like fixed tenure for police officials and setting up of Police Establishment Board for appointment and transfer of personnel, would be considered later.