Orderly system: Assistants can be provided to cops, says HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday suggested that residential assistants can be provided to the police officers instead of allowing the trained policemen to continue as the orderlies.

Justice SM Subramaniam while reserving orders in the orderlies’ case had made this observation. The judge appreciated the steps taken by the DGP to abolish the orderly system in the police department.

Additional Advocate General Kumaresan submitted that the DGP himself had filed an affidavit that orderlies will not be used by him and other police officers will follow the suit.

As the AAG pointed out that the process could not be changed within a day and some time is required for that process.

Accepting the submissions, the judge said that the government shall take its own time to implement the direction. “Orderlies deployed at the houses of the senior officers will not do only the domestic works, they might have been involved in some official duties. Therefore, it is agreed that time is required for the state to abolish it completely, ” the judge observed.

The court also mooted that residential assistants can be appointed at the houses of police officers to assist their domestic work. “In the instant case, temporary appointments can be made by the government to wipe out the orderly system. If five policemen are deployed at the house of an officer, the government needs to spend about Rs.2.5 lakhs per month. Therefore, it should be abolished, ” the judge added.

The matter arose from the writ petition of one former police official U Pon Manickavel who sought direction to the police department not to vacate him from the police quarters. However, the police submitted that the petitioner’s service is over and he needs to be removed from the property. Recording the submissions, the judge directed the petitioner to vacate the government premises.