Nainital
The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered the state government to completely eliminate the revenue police system within a year and transfer its responsibilities to the regular police force. Uttarakhand stands as the sole state in India where revenue police coexists alongside the regular police. This system, managed by revenue department officials, has limited authority, primarily covering remote rural areas of the hill state.
The court’s directive came during a PIL hearing, addressing concerns raised about the abolition of the revenue police system. This isn’t the first time such a decision has been made; in 2018, the high court ordered its removal following a dowry death case mishandled by the revenue police. Subsequently, in 2022, another division bench reiterated similar orders after a PIL highlighted delays in the investigation of Ankita Bhandari’s murder due to the involvement of revenue police.
Furthermore, the state cabinet passed a resolution in October 2022 to phase out the revenue police system. The Supreme Court had earlier recognized the need to abolish this system in its 2004 ruling, emphasizing the lack of training and resources for revenue police compared to their counterparts in the regular force. The apex court advocated for a uniform policing system across the state to ensure effective crime management.
