New Delhi:
About 200 criminal cases have been registered against policemen in the city in the past three years, with offences ranging from minor ones to serious crimes like molestation, possessing drugs and abduction.
According to information received under the Right to Information Act, 2,297 instances have come to notice between 2007 and May 2010 in which at least 2,350 policemen, including Assistant Commissioner of Police level officers, have been issued show-cause notices, faced departmental inquiries or criminal cases.
A total of 199 criminal cases were registered against policemen for offences like allegedly extorting money, involvement in dowry harassment cases, beating up youths, molesting girls and taking bribes during the period.
A maximum of 795 cases were registered in 2007, followed by 552 in 2009 and 505 in 2008. A total of 126 such cases were registered between January and May this year.
Exercising his Right to Information, Ashwini Shrivastava has asked Delhi Police Departmental Enquiry Cell to provide information on number of disciplinary action or inquiry initiated against police personnel between 2007 and May 2010.
The applicant had also asked about the details of criminal cases and penalty imposed against police personnel during the period.
The reply said that maximum of departmental actions or inquiries were initiated or show-cause notices and criminal cases registered against constables, head constables and Assistant Sub-inspectors. There were also cases against senior officers like Inspector and ACP-level officers.
Some of the reasons that figured in the reply include performing duty under the influence of alcohol, possessing heroin, losing wireless set, misbehaving with seniors, losing identity cards twice or thrice, kidnapping minor, dowry harassment and dereliction of duty.
As per the RTI reply, most of the inquiries are pending for over two years with the units concerned despite Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal's directive to complete them on time.
Senior officials concerned with the departments remain tight-lipped on the RTI response and refused to divulge further details.
When contacted, Joint Commissioner of Police (Vigilance) N Dilip Kumar told PTI, "The department takes serious action against anybody found involved in corrupt practices or other offences."
An earlier RTI application filed by the applicant had revealed that Delhi Police and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are most corrupt bodies, according to the number of graft cases filed by Delhi Government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in the last three years.
As many as 59 corruption related cases were filed against Delhi Police personnel followed by 27 against MCD employees by the ACB between 2007 and May 2010.