In May 2008, the Supreme Court of India laid down six parameters to ma

In May 2008, the Supreme Court of India laid down six parameters to make the police effective, accountable and insulated from political interference and set up a monitoring committee to ensure that states implement police reforms. Which one of the following is not a directive of the apex court in this regard ?

Setting up of a state security commission in every state to ensure that the state government did not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the state police
Selection of state’s director general of police would be from “amongst the three senior most officers”
Fixing a minimum tenure of five years for police officers on operational posts unless they face disciplinary proceedings or were convicted in a criminal offence
Setting up a separate investigation police force to ensure that criminal are prosecuted effectively
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2009
The Supreme Court’s directives in the Prakash Singh case (2006, not May 2008, though follow-up happened) aimed at reforming the police force. Key directives included:
1. Setting up a State Security Commission (SSC) in each state (Option A is correct).
2. Selecting the DGP through a merit-based process from a panel of three senior officers and giving them a minimum tenure of **two** years (Option B is correct, but the tenure mentioned in C is incorrect).
3. Ensuring a minimum tenure of **two** years for other police officers on operational duties (Superintendent of Police and Station House Officer) (Option C states five years, which is incorrect).
4. Separating the investigation and law & order functions of the police (Option D is a correct directive).
5. Setting up Police Establishment Boards (PEB) for transfers, postings, etc.
6. Setting up Police Complaints Authorities (PCAs) at state and district levels.
The statement that specifies a minimum tenure of *five* years for police officers on operational posts is incorrect; the Supreme Court mandated a minimum tenure of two years.
– The Supreme Court’s directives in the Prakash Singh case laid down parameters for police reforms.
– Directives included establishing commissions/boards/authorities and ensuring minimum tenure for officers.
– The minimum tenure mandated for officers on operational posts was two years, not five years.
Despite the Supreme Court’s directives, implementation of police reforms across various states in India has been slow and faces significant challenges, including political will and resource constraints.