The Supreme Court laid down six directions with respect to police reform, in Prakash Singh's case, in 2006. But successive governments have been skirting these guidelines. This has happened because no political party wants to give up its hold on the police. Political parties tend to misuse their powers, and use transfers and other service conditions, to keep police personnel on a tight leash. Senior officers shouldn't be appointed by individual members of a political party, but by a committee comprising members of the ruling party, the Opposition and members of the judiciary. This was a suggestion that was endorsed by the honourable SC, but to no avail.

The only way we can force parties to depoliticise the police is if people actively demand that this happen. Today, the police does exactly what its political masters want. For instance, Amit Shah decides everything in Delhi. The Delhi police works according to his whims and fancies, and not according to the law on the subject. Similarly, the police is under Mamata Banerjee's thumb in West Bengal.