Delhi Lieutenant Governor T.S. Sandhu has directed all police stations in the capital to hold weekly public hearings every Saturday starting 20 June, in a move aimed at strengthening community policing and making grievance redressal more accessible to ordinary citizens. The initiative, called 'Thana Divas-Jan Sunwai', will run from 10 am to 2 pm at every police station across Delhi.

What the Initiative Covers

The Jan Sunwai platform is designed as an open public hearing where residents can present grievances, complaints, suggestions, or requests for assistance relating to police functioning and local public safety. A circular issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha described it as a structured mechanism to augment public outreach and enhance accessibility of police services.

'This shall serve as an open public hearing platform where members of the public may present their grievances, complaints, suggestions, requests for assistance, or matters relating to police functioning and public safety,' the circular stated.

Senior Officers to Attend in Rotation

To ensure accountability, the guidelines mandate that all supervisory officers — from the level of Special Commissioner down to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) — attend Jan Sunwai sessions compulsorily in rotation, as per a schedule drawn up by each district. 'The presence of senior officers shall be ensured to facilitate expeditious resolution of grievances and to strengthen public confidence in the grievance redressal mechanism,' the circular noted.

Commissioner Golcha also directed that every police station maintain a separate information sheet for recording grievances received during each session, in prescribed formats.

Time-Bound Grievance Disposal

Grievances requiring inquiry, verification, or field action are to be assigned immediately and resolved within a reasonable timeframe. Pending complaints will be reviewed periodically by the concerned ACP and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to ensure timely disposal. All Station House Officers (SHOs) have been directed to ensure proper seating arrangements, assistance desks, and a citizen-friendly environment at each session.

Notably, the Commissioner clarified that any complainant attending Jan Sunwai will be heard regardless of whether their complaint is already registered on the Integrated Complaint Management System (ICMS). Complaints received during the hearing will be accepted on the spot and subsequently uploaded to ICMS.

The L-G's Push for Community Policing

A statement issued by Lok Niwas — the official residence of the Delhi L-G — said the L-G has been emphasising public-centric, accessible, and interactive policing as the most effective way to address public grievances and build community confidence in law enforcement. The initiative is part of a broader effort to promote structured grievance redressal and improve accountability at all levels of the Delhi Police hierarchy.

This comes at a time when urban policing models across India are under scrutiny for inadequate public interface, and the Jan Sunwai format mirrors similar outreach models adopted in other states. With the first session set for 21 June, the real test will be whether the weekly hearings translate into measurable improvements in complaint resolution rates.