Andhra Pradesh   

Accelerated promotion policy of A.P. upheld

J. Venkatesan

Apex court allows plea on incentive to police in naxal areas

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has upheld the Andhra Pradesh Government's policy to grant accelerated promotion as an incentive to police personnel posted in naxal-infested areas in recognition of their outstanding work in anti-extremist operations irrespective of their seniority.

A Bench of Justice A.K. Mathur and Justice Tarun Chatterjee allowing an appeal filed by the State Government against a judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, held valid the relevant rule in the Andhra Pradesh Police (Civil) Service Rules, 1998, introduced as an amendment in November 2001. On a batch of petitions filed by police personnel G. Jaya Prasad Rao and others, the State Administrative Tribunal struck down the impugned Rule and on appeal the High Court confirmed the Tribunal's order. The present appeal is directed against that judgment.

State's stand

The stand of the State Government was that the scheme was conceived as an incentive to the police officers to tackle the menace of terrorism and extremism. It was a scheme for a special class/category of persons who do the daring job in containing the menace of terrorism by naxal groups and hence it was not discriminatory.

Allowing the appeal, the Bench said: "The outrage shown by persons in anti-terrorist operations should be recognised by framing the necessary rules. There is no gainsaying that those who have performed in extreme situation deserve better treatment but this has to be done within the four corners of the Rules. In order to achieve that objective in view, this accelerated promotion was conceived and the necessary amendments were made in the rules."

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