New Delhi
Notwithstanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated claim over the “co-operative federalism”, the Centre appears to have been moving towards usurping states’ exclusivity with regard to police powers. NITI Aayog in a report on police reforms submitted to the government has suggested shifting of police powers and public order to the “Concurrent List” of the Constitution.

The NITI Aayog report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, under the title “Building smart police: background into the needed police reforms”, has called for “moving police to the Concurrent List” as part of its suggestions under the head “Legislative Reforms”.

The report states, “… police and public order come within the exclusive jurisdiction of the state. The duty of the Centre is to provide armed and paramilitary forces when needed and to ensure that the executive power of every state be so exercised as to ensure compliance with the laws.”

It said it is often argued that these challenges will be resolved better if “police and public order” are “shifted from the State List in the VIIth Schedule of the Constitution to the Concurrent List”. The report said by shifting the matter to the Concurrent List, “the Union Government can play a more proactive role in curbing violation of public order at a nascent stage”. Another reason cited is that tackling the rapid increase in inter-state crimes in the present framework is slightly challenging.