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Policy Watch No. 18

Citizens and the State: Policing, Impunity, and the Rule of Law in India

Eklavya Vasudev Thomas Blom Hansen

In every nation, the police are a prominent representation of the state, backed by a profound constitutional and criminal justice architecture. The rule of law, a cornerstone of robust democracies, binds the triad of voters, elected representatives, and the state through legal frameworks. Beyond the fundamental question of for whom laws are drafted lies the critical role of law enforcement officers – the police machinery, and officers of the court – the judiciary. In this Policy Watch, Eklavya Vasudev, a legal scholar at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Thomas Blom Hansen, Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology at Stanford University, U.S., take a deep look at the dynamics between the citizens and the state in the context of the criminal justice system. Amidst recent reforms by the Union Government, the authors critique the unchanged, historically rooted design of the criminal justice system, which endows the police with extensive powers often disadvantageous to vulnerable groups. The suggested remedy lies in reshaping the police into a community-sensitive force, steadfast in upholding the rule of law.Keywords: India’s penal laws, IPC, CrPC, Judiciary, Police, Criminal justice system. Click here to download Policy Watch No.18 [PDF 737 KB]
Related Resources1. ARC Working Group Report on Police Administration, 1967.
(Convenor: S. Balakrishna Shetty, IP)2. National Police Commission Reports (1979-1981)3. India’s Criminal Laws4. The Police Act, 1861 and Model Police Act, 20065. Malimath Committee Report - 2003 6. Mooshahary Committee Report - 2005


Related Articles from The Hindu GroupThe Hindu1. Bhaumik, A. 2023. Revised criminal law bills: Key changes explained, The Hindu, Dec. 18.2. Bajpai, G.S. 2023. New Bills and a principled course for criminal law reforms, The Hindu, Aug. 17.3. Vij, R.K. 2023. An overhaul, the criminal law Bills, and the big picture, The Hindu, Sep. 09.Frontline4. Chandru, K. 2023. The Centre’s controversial makeover of crucial criminal codes can have far-reaching impacts, Frontline, Sep. 01.The Hindu BusinessLine5. Editorial, 2022. New criminal laws could have been conceived with more rigour, The Hindu BusinessLine, Sep. 01. 

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Policy Report No. 27

Farmer Producer Companies: Preliminary Studies on Efficiency and Equity from Maharashtra

Girija Shankar

In recent years, the concept of Farmer Producer Company (FPC) has gained the attention of researchers. Though relatively new in India and still in an emerging phase in Maharashtra, these FPCs are being viewed as a possible replacement for the old cooperative model and taken the form of new movement. The formation of FPCs in the districts of Maharashtra began in 2015 under the Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP). In Osmanabad and Solapur districts of Maharashtra, FPCs have been in operation for the past three years. As FPCs gained the attention and participation of the farmers it becomes pertinent to study their formation and performance.  This Policy Report attempts to look at the FPCs in Solapur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra to ascertain the level of inclusiveness and participation of the various categories of farmers in the running of the company. The study points out that caste and family hierarchies continue to hold a grip on ownership patterns, albeit in the early days of the FPCs. However, it can be said that the FPCs have the potential to overcome the difficulties faced by the farmers in selling their produce directly in the conventional market arising out of rigid vertical coordination of the middlemen based on the experiences of the farmers with the producer company model.The Report also includes an analysis of the new policy on the FPCs and attempts to assess the differences between the old cooperative Act and new Farmer Producer Companies Act. [PDF 829 KB]

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Background Note No.7

Public Policy and the Child in Tamil Nadu

The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy and UNICEF, Chennai, organised a Round Table on Public Policy and the Child in Tamil Nadu on September 02, 2017 (Saturday), at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai. The aim of the Round Table was to take stock of the extent to which the State’s policies have contributed to and shaped childhood. Covering the ages of 0 to 18 years, the discussions at the Round Table explored the relationship between the state and the child in Tamil Nadu, which is critical for the quality of life for children. Papers were invited from the participants at the Round Table on the following themes: 1. Policy and Fiscal Space in Tamil Nadu 2. Education and Health 3. The Disadvantaged Child, and 4. Social Spaces for the ChildThis Background Note contains the Concept Note and the 10 papers that were presented and discussed at the Round Table. Feedback and comments may please be sent to [email protected] Click here to download the Background Note [PDF 3.72 MB]

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RECENT SCHOLARS AT THE HINDU CENTRE

Girija Shankar - Report Published

Girija Shankar graduated in Agriculture Rural and Tribal Development from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University in 2016 and joined the Tata Institute of Social Sciences for a post-graduate degree in Development Policy Planning and Practices with Rural Planning as a Special interest. As a Public Policy Scholar, he will study the working of Farmer Producer Companies in Osamanabad, Maharashtra.

Swapna Sundar - Report Published

Swapna Sundar's research explores the ethical issues surrounding research in rehabilitation engineering and assistive technolologies involving persons with disabilities. As a Public Policy Scholar, her research will be on "Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Technology Research – Clinical Trials Ethics Perspective".

Mohd Osama - Report Published

Mohd Osama's research interests cover electoral politics, voting behaviour, and political anthropology. He is a Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. He has done his Master's from the same Department. As a Public Policy Scholar, he will undertake a study on the extent of and reasons for dynastic politics among Muslim representatives from the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Mudasir Amin - Report Published

Mudasir Amin’s research interests include human rights, humanitarian aid, and the non-profit sector, with a special focus on Kashmir. This interest guided his journey from graduation with a Science degree through Master's in Social Work from the University of Kashmir. During his Master's, Mudasir worked with some rights based organisations in and outside Kashmir. As a Public Policy Scholar, he will study the Indian state’s response to the recent Rohingya crisis

Kanika Sharma - Report Published

Kanika Sharma’s research interests are in gender, social inequality, and health. She has an M.A. in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and an M.Phil in Social Sciences in Health from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her M.Phil dissertation focused on the theme of gender and pain from an interdisciplinary public health perspective. As a Public Policy Scholar, she will be studying women’s lived experiences of physical pain, the social and health system support available to them, and th

O. Grace Ngullie - Report Published

O. Grace Ngullie’s research focuses on aspects of social welfare governance, nature and extent of transformational politics and possibilities for a transformative implementation of public policies to towards achieving an inclusive and sustainable impact on human and social capital as also social integration. As a Public Policy Scholar, she will broadly analyse the politics and governance of social security schemes in India and examine how differently Cash Transfers and in-kind transfers affect h

Alamu - Report not Submitted

Alamu is a Doctoral candidate in Political Science at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her research interest is in the area of State politics in India, specifically Tamil Nadu. As a Public Policy Scholar, she will map the evolution of ' regional autonomy' during the first tenure of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government from 1967-1971.