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IV. ANCIENT INDIA POLICE FORM7
According to the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda, which identify specific types of crimes
known to the Vedic people at the time, police had their roots in the early Vedic period. It has
been proven that security personnel were in place as far back as the Harappan period. It is not
known exactly what type of criminal justice system existed during the Vedic period, although
the Mauryan period has many of the same traits. The Arthashastra of Kautilya (310 BC) is
a work on the administration of justice. It's written as if it were a handbook for modern-day
police officers. From contemporary inscriptions and literature, we came across the names of
many officials of various designations. Though exact designation, functions and nature of duty
are not clear, however, it can be assumed that these officials occupied posts of different status,
authority and responsibility in the administrative hierarchy of the police department. Some of
these officials have been thus described:
GRAMINI: Village Pradhan
CORAGRAHA: He was probably a thief catcher
RAKSINAH: Constable
CORARAJJUKA: He was an officer who arrested robbers and fettered them.
CHURDHARANIKA: He was the officer in charge of recovering stolen property and held
charge of ten types of criminal activities.
DANDANYAKA: He was a police officer who held the fetters or noose of punishment.
DASAPARADHIKA: It was probably the designation of a class of officers who were in charge
of ten specified kinds of criminal offences as Aparadhas.
DANDAQUHIPARIN: He was Chief of Police
ARAKSISA: He was a watchman
GATA-BHATA: They were perhaps officials in charge of the investigation of crimes.
RAJASTHANIYA: Is an expressive whose actual function is almost vague.
NAGARIKA: He was Chief of Police. DANDASAKTI He was also a Police Officer.
MAHAPRATIHAR: He was the chief of doorkeepers. KHOLA He was in charge of the
intelligence department.
GUDHAPURUSHA: He was a secret serviceman.
7
Bayley, Dawid H. (1969). 'Police and Political Development in India', Princeton University Press, New Hersey.
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CARA: He was a simple spy.
MAHADANDANAYAKA He was a high ranking official.
PRAHARPALA: The policemen were on duty for three hours which was known as prahar,
therefore, they did watch duty for a fixed period and known as praharpal.
In-depth chronicles of the Gupta regime can be found in the works of Greek Ambassador
Magasthenese and Chinese traveller Fa Hein. Those in charge were known as Dandikas.
Among those mentioned are Nagar Shreshthi and Rabasika. Five to six hundred years later, the
criminal justice system that was formed during this time period was still in use. Mauryan rule
was centralised while Gupta rule was decentralised, the only distinction between the two. It
was, however, based on the same basic organisation as the village, city, and palace police,
which were adapted by various rulers.
After the Gupta dynasty fell, India was divided into several kingdoms, each of which pursued
an aggressive policy of territorial expansion and national aggrandisement against the other. For
example, Kalhana gives us an insight into the workings of police in several north Indian states,
particularly Kashmir, where Kelhana writes that Hariraja was able to keep Kashmir free of
robbers and thieves because of his efforts (1028 AD). At night, doors in the market street were
not allowed to be closed since "he who had his instructions never broken" cleared the land of
thieves. For example, we learned from the Travelers' Tales inscription and other literature that
law and order were still in good working order under Hara and Pulkesin.
V. MEDIEVAL INDIA POLICE FORM8
In no place does it acknowledge the existence of any sort of law enforcement agency. As a
result, there may have been a lack of effort to combine or administer the civil administration.
The Muslim invaders attempted to impose a police system that was similar to the one in place
in their homeland in order to blend in with Indian society.
According to Islam, the system of judicial, penal, and policing administration was Islamic and
founded on the Holy Quran. Hindus in the Sultanate were subject to a different set of laws, and
the Pandits worked together to interpret Hindu law and offer their insights into the matter at
hand. Muhtasibs, or Muqaddams, were administrative officers. Following Islamic law,
punishments included flaying, chopping off the nose, ears, or forearms, elephant trampling,
and mutilation. There is no doubt that all of this has resulted in an intense animosity for police
officers.
8
Curry, J.C. (1932). 'The Indian Police' Faber & Faber Limited, MCM XXXII London.
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Faujdar, the head of the provincial criminal justice system, was tasked with ensuring the peace
and security of the province during this time period. As a magistrate, he was also the head of
the police force and a municipal officer in one. It was Chaukidar's job to run the village's daily
affairs. The Mughal government was despotic and militaristic in character. During this time,
both the justice system and the police were in disrepair.
VI. MODERN INDIA'S POLICE FORCE9
1. Phase I of the British Indian Empire: Because of the British victory at Plassey in 1757
and the Mughal fall, whatever police system was then in use was further corrupted throughout
the region. The Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code were enacted in 1862.
The Qazis, the Muftis, the Pandits, as well as the Islamic law and Hindu law, were replaced by
the Evidence Act in 1872. The Mughal structure for policing was still in place, notwithstanding
British administrative reforms. These included Kotwal, Thanedar, Pargana and Darogah ranks.
Slowly but surely, the Perso-Arabic model underwent modifications, and the British approach
to law enforcement was embraced.
2. Early American History: It wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that the Mughal
empire began to disintegrate, mostly due to British inexperience and lack of information about
the region. When Cornwallis was appointed Governor-General of India in 1792, the Zamindars
continued to provide law enforcement. He did away with the zamindari system and put the
onus of law enforcement on Thanedars. Other changes were made as well. This culminated in
the Indian Police Act in 1861, which is based on a model devised by Napier and is still used
today.
3. Indian Police Act: Except for Bombay and Madras, which had police acts that were
nearly identical to the Central Act, this law extended across British India (Indian Police
Commission, 1902-1903, p.115). According to the preamble of the Act, it was the first law that
attempted to organise the Indian police, making it a more effective tool for preventing and
detecting crime. The Act included provisions addressing public nuisances such as traffic
regulation, animal cruelty prevention, and health hazards (Sec 21, 24 and 30 of the Police Act
1861). The Police Act served as the skeleton on which the police force was built. Additionally,
it stated that "the entire police force established under State Government shall be deemed to be
one force for the purpose of this Act" (Article 2 of the Police Act 1861), meaning that the police
are organised at the level of states or provinces. This means that the police are organised at the
federal, state, and provincial levels. So it became evident that only order, crime control, and
9
Srivastava, V.P. (1977). 'Indian Police: Law and Order Reality. Manas Publication, New Delhi.
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surveillance were in the Act's structure or thinking at the time it was enacted. Nowhere was
there a sense that community involvement in policing was necessary anyway.
VII. INDIA'S 1860 LAW ON THE INDIAN POLICE10
Immediately following the uprising of 1857, the British government were acutely aware of the
danger of losing control and made a concerted effort to maintain total control and crush any
potential threats. An organisation was established in 1860 to improve the efficiency of the
police in order to prevent and identify crime. In 1857, the mutiny shook the British into a fuller
understanding of the duties of imperial rule over such a large area. In 1858, the Government of
India Act was passed, thus abolishing the proud Company and handing control of India up to
the Queen in Parliament for the first time since the 16th century. The Indian Penal Code was
passed in 1860, and the Code of Civil Procedure and the Code of Criminal Procedure followed
in 1861. To sum it up, the Police Act of 1861 was the product of discussions held by a
commission established in 1860 to evaluate the country's police needs at the time.
However, the system as it was conceived was diametrically opposed to that of the British,
whose police force was hailed around the world as a model of democracy. As a key goal, it was
to ensure that the trade route was safe and that resources could continue to be exploited
unimpeded. An important part of this system was derived from the Mughal structure of the
17th century, which included several elements and officials' names such as Daroga, Faujdar,
and Kotwal. Uniform police procedures were implemented across the country as a result of the
Act. He was released from his responsibilities as District Magistrate to keep an eye on the local
police, making it more professional and organised. The system of policing established by the
Act is still in place and has given uniformity to the administration of law enforcement. Due to
poverty and famine, as well as other adversity, crime control remained unsatisfactory in the
overall sense. In 1902, the second All India Police Commission was established to carry out a
complete investigation and make recommendations for improvements to various parts of the
institution. However, until independence, little meaningful was done to improve the forces in
accordance with the recommendations.
Through entrance exams, Indians could join the imperial armies after 1920. Despite statements
and recommendations, the Indianization of the services was relatively gradual. Due to a lack
of Europeans, additional Indians were hired into the military later. After India's independence,
the country embraced the 1861 system in all of its fundamentals.
10
Philip V. Prateep, Friends of Police Movement. (1996). A Concept for Empowerment and an Experiment in
Community Policing. Policing Central and Eastern Europe.
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VIII. THE INDIAN POLICE SYSTEM AS IT STANDS AT PRESENT
After 1860, top police officers were recruited in two ways: first, through the appointment of
British Army officers, and second, through nominations from the younger sons of landed
nobility in the United Kingdom. In 1893, both of these methods were outlawed. It used to be
that only Europeans were allowed to take the exam, which was held in London. Later, it was
made available to Indians as well. The Union Public Service Commission conducts the
Combined Civil Services Examination every year. The All India Services are mentioned in
Article 312 of the Indian Constitution. Basic training for new recruits includes rigorous
physical education, firearms, and other activities.
The police force is a state subject, according to the Constitution. In the state police manual,
each state lays down its own set of laws and regulations for officers. The structure of police
forces in India is remarkably consistent across the country's many regions. An official title for
the state's top police official is "Director General of Police" (DGP). Zones, ranges, and districts
are further subdivided within a state. a Superintendent of the Police is in charge of the district's
police force (SP). A range is made up of several districts and is led by a Deputy Inspector
General of Police (DIG). The Inspector-General of the Police officers is in charge of two or
more ranges in each zone (IG). Circles and police stations are sub-divisions of districts, each
overseen by a different rank of officer. Aside from dealing with criminal activity, the armed
police are also responsible for maintaining order and preparing for an emergency situation in
the event of a natural disaster or another calamity.
IX. COMPARISON OF THE POLICE SYSTEM AND ORIGIN OF A FEW OTHER
COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD11
“Saudi Arabia” is a typical type of a “centralised coordinated police force”, with a single line
of command issued from the King. two positions are normally held by senior family members,
and both are appointed by the King himself. The Executive Orders and Shariah give the Public
Security Police the ability to enforce the law across the country. Regular police and Special
Investigative Police (SIP), sometimes known as "Mubahit," are two distinct branches of the
police force. The Director of Public Safety oversees the regular police force, which reports
directly to the Ministry of the Interior. General Directorate of Investigation (GIP) oversees SIP,
which handles criminal investigations and domestic security and counterintelligence activities.
Religious police, known as Mutawwiun, is also in charge of enforcing Islamic Shariah in
11
Teacher, Law. (November 2013). Comparative Study of Policing Models. https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-
essays/administrative-law/comparative-study-of-policing-models-administrative-law-essay.php?vref=1.
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