As per the new rules, every constable, who has completed four years of service, is eligible for the written exam.The UT police has issued standing orders regarding the compulsory written test for the eligible constables having service period of four years for promotion to the rank of head constable, triggering resentment among constables.
There are over thousands of constables, who have fulfilled the criteria of seniority since 2000, and are waiting for their promotion as per their seniority. The constables of different batches have started submitting representations in the office of DGP Sanjay Baniwal and Principal Home Secretary Arun Gupta, urging them to withdraw the standing orders. DGP Baniwal had issued the standing orders about the written test last week.
The orders were issued under Rule 13.20 of Punjab Police Rules. Constables of the batches of 1995, 1997, 2003, 2005 are on the waiting list as per seniority. The last recruitment of 520 constables in Chandigarh took place in 2015. They completed their training and joined duties in March this year.
Principal Home Secretary Gupta said, “The standing orders were issued as per rules. The representations will be considered on the basis of rules and facts.”
According to the new rules, every constable, who has completed four years of his service, is eligible for sitting in the written exam. Earlier, constables were being promoted on the basis of their seniority against vacancies.
A Departmental Selection Committee (DSC), headed by an IPS rank officer, with two DSPs as members will be constituted. The written test will be of 90 marks. The test will be based on law and general knowledge. Syllabus for the test has been finalised.
Since 1983, constables of Chandigarh Police have been promoted on the basis of their seniority against vacancies. One of the eligible constables, who completed the criteria of four years’ service in 2007, said, “Thousands of constables are in line for getting promotion on the basis of seniority. Indeed, the provision of written test has been mentioned in the Punjab Police Rules which govern Chandigarh Police. But the practice was stopped more than two decades back. The practice will snatch our right of promotion. We have started filing representations against the orders before the competent authorities. We will also approach the court against the orders.”