THE FUNCTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT ARE MANIFOLD and those relating to maintenance of law and order, and security to life and property of people are carried out through Police, Judiciary, Jail and Social Welfare departments. In the following are given the details of working of these departments in Greater Bombay.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

It is the responsibility of the police force to maintain law and order. The institution of police is not of recent origin but is as old as Government itself. In the ancient and historical India the police force was not organised as it is today, functioning as a separate body. It was the revenue officers of the olden days who were asked to do the duties of police officials. The regime of Lord Cornwallis saw the organisation of police in a different perspective, so that zamindars were no longer held responsible for doing police work and Government controlled police stations were opened. The period that followed witnessed efforts on the part of the Government to bring about improvements in the efficiency and utility of the force. The Act of 1860 could be regarded as a landmark in the history of police department.

The police organisation has undergone a radical change in recent times with the eclipse of the British rule. The police in the past were a symbol of repression and their operation was more provocative than ameliorative in the context of the common man, in the name of law and order. One can understand the responsibility of police in the maintenance of law and order and adoption of reasonable measures in case of viola­tion of law and order by members of public. But history has shown that during the British regime police had been too sensitive to people's reaction. The high handedness with which matters of common interest were handled did not have any justification. The conditions have now changed with the growth of population, industrial development and rise of industrial cities which in their wake have created many problems for the police especially in big cities like Bombay.

Early mention: The earliest authentic mention of the police occurs during the governorship of Gerald Aungier (1669-77) who organised the Bhandaris into a crude militia under the command of subhedars with headquarters at Mahim, Sewri, Sion and other natural divisions of the island. The force was further strengthened in 1694 by the establishment of night patrols. Inspite of these precautions, lawlessness was rampant during 17th and 18th centuries and led in 1771 to conversion of Bhandari militia into regular police force. In 1780, the post of lieutenant of police was abolished and that of Deputy of Police was created and again in 1794 this designation was changed to the Superintendent of Police.

There were constant complaints against the inefficiency of police force which led to the appointment of the Police Committee in 1809 to suggest measures for improvement in the police organisation. In 1812, various rules, ordinances and regulations were promulgated which divided powers pertaining to police between Deputy Superintendent and Divisional Magistrate. The new promulgation also provided for an additional staff. But all these measures failed to place any appreciable check upon crime. The year 1844 saw the establishment of a floating police force under a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Up to 1856 little was done towards checking the incidence of crime though there was appreciable increase in the expenditure on police force. As there were numerous complaints in regard to inefficiency of police the Bombay Government instituted an enquiry in 1856, which led to the passing of Act XIII of 1856 aimed at regulating the police force.

This Act was however amended by another Act of 1860 which gave the police wider powers for regulation and prevention of nuisances. In 1902 all the enactments were annulled by the Bombay Act IV of 1902 which vested the entire control of police in the Commissioner of Police.(The office of the Commissioner of Police, dates back from 1864 when on the recommendation of Colonel Bruce, the Bombay Police was greatly strengthened.) The last quarter of the 19th century witnessed a phenomenal growth in regard to Bombay city, industrially and demographically. This had its effects on the law and order situation in the city. In pre-Independence era the police in the city had to face communal riots and industrial unrest as also satyagrahas in which thousands of citizens participated.(For detailed history of Police Administration see Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island, Vol. II, 1910.)

After 1947, the conditions underwent a radical change. It was not the political movement that the police had to face. In fact there was battle on the economic front due to economic unrest among the working population. To meet the situation the strength of police force was increased from time to time. It was only 6,060 in 1940, which was raised to 14,813 in 1960 and again to 19,334 in 1970. This is an indication of the growth of police force in Bombay. The daily influx of population created problems not only for the local authority but for the police also. One of these problems was the increasing slums which could be regarded as breeding centres of crime.

In spite of these factors, the Bombay Police force has been making constant efforts to maintain law and order situation in the city. The force as a whole is supposed to be one of the best in the country. The services of CID organisation are always utilised by the other district police force. The traffic branch of Bombay Police is also classed as the best in India.

Organisation: At the head of the police organisation in the State is the Director-General of Police assisted by Special Inspector-General of Police, Additional Inspector General of Police, Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, etc. in the performance of his duties. The Police organisation of the Maharashtra State has since long been organised on distinct lines as compared to other States, having two separate wings of police, one for metropolis called city police and other called the district police. The police force in metropolitan city of Bombay is controlled by the Commis­sioner of Police who is second in the police hierarchy. Unlike the districts, the functions of both District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police are combined in the office of the Commissioner. The post of Commissioner for Bombay was first created in 1864 when on the recommendation of Colonel Bruce the Bombay Police was greatly strengthened to correspond with the forces in Calcutta and Madras.

The Greater Bombay scheme was inaugurated on 1st October 1945 (Amalgamation of greater part of Bombay Suburban District with Bombay City or police purposes was sanctioned in 1939-40), from this date the District Superintendent of Police, Bombay Suburban District, was absorbed into Greater Bombay and the designation was changed to Deputy Commissioner of Police. The designation of Divisional Deputy Commissioners then underwent changes. The Senior Divisional Deputy Commissioner of Police became Deputy Commissioner of Police, Headquarters. At present the Commissioner of Police is assisted by three Additional Commissioners of Police, one each for administration, crime and essential commodities and 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police in charge of zones and 64 Assistant Commissioners of Police controlling divisions.

For the purpose of administration, Greater Bombay is divided into nine zones each in charge of a Deputy Commissioner of Police. These zones are further divided into divisions put under the control of an Assistant Commissioner of Police. Each division is further divided into police stations. An Inspector of Police is ordinarily in charge of a police station except in certain cases in which a selection grade Sub-Inspector of Police is placed in charge of a police station. Each police station has a certain number of Sub-Inspectors, unarmed head constables and constables for the purpose of carrying out various duties.

In addition to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, headquarters, and Deputy Commissioners of Police in charge of zones, there are Deputy Commissioners in charge of various branches, such as special branch and CID, armed forces, traffic branch, motor transport and wireless, port, crime branch (CID), civil defence, etc. Besides, there is one Deputy Commissioner dealing with matters concerning foreigners. This post is borne in the cadre of subsidiary Intelligence Bureau, Government of India.

Police Stations : In 1908 the city was divided into 12 police divisions having 28 police stations and 380 out-posts. A division was managed by a Superintendent and sections by Sub-Inspectors. However after 1908 the number of city police divisions was reduced and in 1950 the number stood at 8. Following statement shows the number of police stations in Bombay for a few years since 1908 :—

Year	Police stations	Out-posts
1908	28	380
1914	22	410
1920	18	..
1930	18	..
1940	18	..
1950	25	1
1960	31	6
1970	40	15
1980	50	16

The increase in the number of police stations after 1940 was due to expansion of city area, growth of population, etc. The industrial growth of Bombay attracted people from rural areas and created additional burden on police to keep law and 6rder situation in the growing metro­politan city. During 1945, four new police stations, viz., Bandra, Kurla, Ghatkopar and Andheri were added to the existing ones. In 1956 a new police station was opened at Dharavi whereas Chembur sub-police station was converted into a full-fledged police station. In the following year police stations located at Borivali, Malad and Mulund were added to Greater Bombay. Bhandup sub-police station was converted into a police station and a new police station at Vile Parle was opened in 1958. This process of upgrading sub-police stations was continued in view of the growing responsibilities of the police force. In 1965 Kherwadi out-post was given the status of a police station. Similarly, Goregaon and Aarey sub-police stations were separated and the former was made into a full-fledged police station, so also Kandivali sub-police station was separated from Borivali police station and was converted into a full-fledged police station in 1963. The Jogeshwari sub-police station was upgraded in 1969 but started functioning in 1970 only. The police zones and divisions have been reorganised since May 1981. Greater Bombay area has been divided into 9 zones and 24 divisions. These divisions have been further divided into 48 police stations and 4 sub-police stations. The zone-wise police stations are as under:—

Zone	Division	Police station
I	Colaba, Kalbadevi, Pydhonie.	Colaba, Azad Maidan, Paltan Road, L. T. Marg, Pydhonie, Dongri.
II	Girgaum, Tardeo, Nagpada.	V. P. Road, D. B. Marg, Gamdevi, Tardeo, Agripada, Nagpada.
III	Byculla, Worli, Bhoiwada.	Byculla, Kalachowki, N. M. Joshi Marg, Worli, Bhoiwada, R. A. Kidwai Marg.
IV	Mahim, Matunga, Chembur	Dharavi, Mahim, Matunga, Dadar, Chembur, Trombay.
V	Ghatkopar	Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Tilak Nagar, Bhandup, Mulund, Kurla, Saki Naka.
VI	Bandra, Santacruz, Vakola.	Bandra, Kherwadi, Santacruz, D. N. Nagar, Vile Parle, Vakola.
VII	Andheri, Goregaon, Borivali.	Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon, Malad, Kandivali, Borivali. Wadala, Sewree, Yellow Gate.
Port zone	Wadala, Yellow Gate	Wadala,Sewree, Yellow Gate
Airport zone	Airport	Airport Sahar.

Strength : Upto 1930, there was no remarkable increase in the police force. This was perhaps due to the fact that the population and area of Bombay kept a steady growth which in turn did not require the streng­thening of force for maintaining law and order situation. The period after 1930 witnessed not only growth of Bombay city but also deterioration of law and order situation on account of freedom struggle movement. Similarly the industrial growth of Bombay city led to an increase in the incidence of crime due to activities of anti-social elements. The merger of some areas of the Thane district posed additional burden on the police force of Bombay. The labour unrest, unemployment and poverty, expansion of area and population are responsible for disturbing peaceful life of city especially after 1960.

The strength of Police officers and men in Bombay is shown below for a few years:—

Category	Year
	1961	1971	1977
Commissioner of Police	1	1	1
Additional Commissioners of Police	..	..	2
Deputy Commissioners of Police	8	13	17
Assistant Commissioners of Police	24*	41	51
Inspectors of Police	87	121	175
Assistant Inspectors of Police	6	..	228
Sub-Inspectors of Police	908	1,295	1,329
Jamadars	152	252	280
Head Constables	2,080	2,652	4,640
Constables	11,676	15,088	14,270
Total	14,942	19,463	20,993

*In 1961,they were designated as the Superintendents of Police.

The sanctioned strength of Police officers and men as on 1st December 1982 was 3,620 and 22,224 respectively.
During 1940, there were 436 Police officers (374 for city and 62 for CID) and 5,630 policemen (5,489 for city and 141 for CID). A more detailed classification of police force since 1950 is shown below:—

Year		Officers of and above the rank of Asstt. Commissioner	Officers below the rank of Asstt.Commissioner	Head Constables and Constables
1950	City	20	618	11,406
	CID	11	271	771
	Total	31	889	12,177
1960	City	24	863	12,858
	CID	8	281	779
	Total	32	1,144	13,637
1970	City	34	1,015	11,587
	Armed	5	154	4,676
	CID	12	456	1,395
	Total	51	1,625	17,658
1980	City	35	1,348	13,275
	Armed	5	182	5,770
	CID	34	958	1,926
	Total	74	2,488	20,971

Since 1920 the proportion of police to area and population  was as follows:—

	Proportion of Police to		Proportion of cognisable crime investigated to police force
Year	Area (Sq. miles)	Population		Area in square miles
1920	. 005	312.37	17.78	22
1930	.005	282.67	18.55	22
1940	.006	248.79	33.28	30
1950	.007	129.00	21.14	85.16
1960	.0.01	279.92	35 05	N.A.
1970	2.34 (Sq. km.)	215.00	18.64	453 (Sq. km.)
1980	2.56 (Sq. km.)	356.50	19.96	603.00 (Sq.km.)

Crime: The crime position during post-Independence period, except for a short period, shows a rise. The last couple of decades saw unemployment, influx of persons from other parts of India in search of employ­ment, rise in the cost of living and shortage of food-grains and other necessities of life. Shortage of accommodation resulting in growth of unauthorised hutments in the available open spaces affording shelter to criminals is also one of the main factors, resulting in an increase in certain types of crime. The activities of political parties are also to some extent responsible for disturbing social life in the city. On many occa­sions, strikes and lock-outs and such other factors contribute to labour unrest which in turn encourage anti-social elements. To this could be added crime resulting from violation of prohibition laws, linguistic and communal troubles, etc.   

      
Table No. 1 at the end of the Chapter shows number of cognisable and non-cognisable crime since 1920, while Table No. 2 gives classification of cognisable crime as per the Acts in force and Indian Penal Code. The statistics of crime committed in Bombay since 1950 are furnished in Table No. 3.

About the incidence of crime per  1,000 population the following statement gives the position for a few years :—

Year       ..	1950	1960	1970	1975
Incidence of crime per 1,000 population..	90.37	123.01	86.80	77.01

Administrative Units: For proper functioning, the Police organisation in Greater Bombay is divided into various branches and units. In the following is given a brief description of some of the branches.

Armed Forces, Motor Transport and Wireless Section : A Deputy Commissioner of Police is in charge of armed forces, motor transport, and wireless section. Armed force is divided into battalions, each under the command of an Assistant Commissioner of Police. A motor transport section consists of workshop for daily repairing and maintenance of vehicles and water craft. The strength of police working in this section was 1,073 during 1977. A wireless section is responsible for providing wireless communications to and from wireless patrolling mobiles in the city as well as with various districts of the State.

CID : The Criminal Investigation Department collects information about crime, and investigates complicated cases of murder, conspiracy, arson, etc. The organisation is divided into crime branch and special branch. The former controlled by the Additional Commissioner of Police deals with all important and complicated cases of serious crime; cases of cheating, social vice, kidnapping; matters relating to kidnapping, extermination maintenance of records of criminals, etc. The special branch under the control of a Deputy Commissioner of Police is divided into 13 sections. It deals with various subjects such as surveillance of political activities, record of political personalities, espionage work, etc.

A finger print bureau is attached to the crime branch. It undertakes the collection of finger impression slips of convicted persons.

Prohibition : A Deputy Commissioner of Police was in charge of the prohibition branch. He was also entrusted with the work of crime branch (controls) where cases under various control orders in connection with essential commodities were taken up. The police department was in charge of prohibition work since 1939 when prohibition was introduced in the Bombay city. During 1975, 46,130 cases were detected by this branch under prohibition and allied Laws.( Since 1980 the prohibition section of the Police Department was disbanded).

Traffic : The traffic branch is controlled by the Deputy Commissioner of Police. This branch is responsible for the regulation of traffic in city and is also engaged in educating the public in road sense. For administrative purposes this branch is divided into south, north and propaganda sec­tions. To tackle the traffic problems and to ease the congestion of traffic, propaganda is carried out through cinema, loudspeaker vans, distri­bution of leaflets, radio, television and film shows. 24 hours silence zones also exist in certain parts of Greater Bombay. Besides, the entire Greater Bombay area is declared as a silence zone during night from 1 to 6 a.m. Particular attention is paid to cover all hospitals in the 24 hours silence zone.

Automatic signal lights on junctions have been installed which help to minimise heavy work-load on traffic police.
The ever increasing road traffic in Greater Bombay has created problems for Bombay Police. A little space available for parking especially from Dadar to Fort area poses problems for through traffic. Clearance of traffic in the morning and evening also puts heavy work­load on traffic police. All these factors lead to violation of traffic rules framed under the Motor Vehicles Act. During 1950, 99,264 notices were served on offenders for breach of traffic regulations, of which 5,960 prosecutions were launched. In 1970 the traffic offences showed a conti­nuous rise as there were 3,01,057 offences, of which 1,66,575 cases were filed in various courts. During 1975, 5,49,624 traffic rule violations were recorded under various Acts, of which 3,83,948 prosecutions were launched in the various courts.

Traffic Institute: From a routine and monotonous exercise of regu­lating vehicular flow, the traffic regulation has become a well defined science. With a view to streamline the work of enforcement of traffic regulations and accident investigation, it was necessary to train police officers to meet these needs. The long felt need of establishing an institute was fulfilled on the establishment of a Traffic Institute at Bombay.

This Institute, only one of its kind in India, was started in 1964. It conducts several courses of studies in the various aspects of traffic. Situated at Byculla, the institute was started intially with the object of training police officers from Greater Bombay and Maharashtra in the investigation of traffic accidents as it was noticed that number of acci­dent cases were disproved in the courts due to want of sufficient evidence or evidence incorrectly recorded by the investigating officer. It was also noticed that mere knowledge of traffic laws was not sufficient to bring home the change. The entire complexion of traffic control has reached a stage where police officers investigating traffic accidents require a more comprehensive training and adequate knowledge of traffic engineering, highway planning, psychology of drivers and pedestrians, methods of accident reporting, etc. To enable them to understand the magnitude of traffic problems and to train to handle traffic systematically and in a scientific way, this course was later on opened to police officers of all States of India.

There are in all seven courses conducted by this institute. A regular course for officers lasts for 4 months wherein officers above the rank of Sub-Inspectors of Police are admitted for training. The duration of a regular course for constabulary is 6 weeks, whereas a course for proba­tionary officers lasts for 2 weeks. In addition to these above courses, additional courses for police drivers, home guards and naval police are conducted in this Institute, the duration of courses being from 2 weeks to 3 weeks. These additional courses are however meant for the personnel stationed in Greater Bombay area only. So far 35 batches of officers, consisting of 35 to 45 officers and 98 batches of 35 to 40 men in each batch have been trained in this institute.

The Institute is headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, who is also the Principal, and is assisted by two Inspectors of Police, three Sub-Inspectors of Police and one Police Prosecutor. For specialised subjects, lectures are delivered by the Police Surgeon, the Director of Forensic Science Laboratory, Executive Engineer, Bombay Municipal Corporation and experts from the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking.

Road Accidents: The  statistics of road accidents are given in  the following statement:—

Particulars	Years
	1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980
Fatal accidents	21	6	112	226	282	621	706
Non fatal accidents	387	360	6,531	12,900	24,988	21,395	22,273
Total	408	366	6,643	13,126	25,270	22,016	22,979

During the last about 20 years, the number of fatal accidents has shown considerable rise. The non-fatal accidents which include injuries and minor accidents have also gone up. This is attributed to the increase in number of motor vehicles and carelessness on the part of drivers as also pedestrians. The total number of accidents during 1975 was 21,902 and number of vehicles was 2,34,197. Thus the rate of accidents per 100 vehicles was put at 9.35. Of 21,902 accidents recorded, 507 were fatal accidents.

As regards persons killed in road accidents the following statement shows the figures for a few years since 1930:—

	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980
Persons Killed	97	113	227	288	639	733
Persons injured	2,532	3,842	4,912	6,064	9,086	7,891

Women Police: The women police staff is allotted to CID, harbour police units, etc. The women police perform watcher's duty at various places all over Greater Bombay including railways. They also help the local police in carrying out the searches of women offenders. The staff attached to CID branch is utilised for handling children delinquents and guarding and escorting female prisoners. The women police attached to harbour police are meant for suppressing unlawful activities of female vagrants and women of questionable character frequenting the dock area on some pretext or the other. In 1970 the strength of women police force was 147 which increased to 276 during 1977.

Police Dog Unit: The CID organisation of Bombay Police maintains a police dog unit for detection of crime. This unit also undertakes training to State CID dog unit. In 1980, 480 calls requisitioning the services of this unit for assistance were received for investigation of offences from various police stations in Greater Bombay. The unit also renders help to District Police in the detection of crime.

Police Training School: The Police Training School established in 1912 imparts training to armed and unarmed police. It is one of the oldest teaching institutions, and had a modest start in 1912 when a teacher from the Elphinstone High School was appointed as a Police Sub-Inspector to teach policemen. It was in 1918 when the institution was termed as a Police Training School where armed and unarmed police constables were imparted professional training. In 1939-40, posts of women police constables were created in Greater Bombay Police force and their training was entrusted to this institute. During war time this institution conducted training not only for the constabulary but also for Sub-Inspectors of Police and it continued till 1949, when officer's training was finally cen­tralised at Nashik. Subsequently, in 1960 this school was attached to Naigaum headquarters, and it conducted training for head constables directly recruited. In February 1975 this institution was finally shifted to Marol on the south of Aarey Milk Colony.

The Police Training School was formerly controlled by the Superin­tendent of Police. However in 1966 an independent post of Assistant Commissioner of Police termed as the Principal was created, and since then the school is functioning as an independent unit feeding the Greater Bombay police force with the required strength of police constabulary. During 1976, besides the Principal, the staff included a Vice-Principal, an Assistant Inspector of Police, 3 PSI Law Instructors, 5 Police Prosecutors and 25 Armed H. C. Drill Instructors. An additional staff to copeup with increased load of training is drawn up from other head quarters and units.

The training for armed constables extends over a period of 6 months, that for unarmed constabulary, 9 months; for women constables, 5 months and for women Sub-Inspectors upto 6 months. The training period of head constables directly recruited is 6 months. The training covers drill, wireless telegraphy, motor cycle riding, traffic control, first aid, civil defence, etc. Occasionally training is also imparted to personnel from Home Guards, Excise department, Custom department, etc.

From 1966 to 1976, 6,176 armed and unarmed constables, 128 women police constables, 8 women Police Sub-Inspectors and 67 Head Constables, directly recruited, were trained by this school.

Health: The Bombay Police Organisation provides separate medical facilities through police hospitals and dispensaries. The patients treated in police hospitals since 1930 for a few years were as under:—

Year	No. of officers and men treated
1930	4,858
1940	7,665
1950	27,319
1960	48,824
1970	55,006
1980	1,72,322

During 1975, 71,300 patients were treated, out of whom 3,316 were suffering from tuberculosis.

Welfare Activities: A welfare fund started in 1918 is utilised to promote welfare activities of the entire police force. The fund is akin to police welfare fund and is calculated to promote the welfare of police and their families by way of assistance for educational and other purposes and promoting cultural activities amongst them. The welfare activities consist of medical facilities, sewing, montessory and literacy classes and games. Mention may also be made of Greater Bombay Police Co-operative Credit Society Ltd. and Greater Bombay Police Co-operative General Stores Ltd. The total membership of society and that of stores in 1975 was 14,667 and 5,791, respectively.

Police Computer Wing : The Police Department decided to operate a computer of their own to enable to handle speedily and accurately the voluminous data of criminals and allied aspects of police work. Accordingly a police computer wing was opened in 1976 in Bombay. The data collection for the first application relating to modus operandi and criminals for the entire State was initiated through nine Police Inspectors. The Police data for crime and criminals for over 700 police stations in the State for 1971 to 1976 compiled as per the computer code received from these police stations is scrutinized by the Police Inspectors in their respective areas and made available to the police computer wing at Bombay.

With the increase in the magnitude of the data to be compiled and processed by the wing, the same has been placed under the control of a Superintendent of Police. The strength of Police Inspectors was also raised from 9 to 19 including four for Bombay city.

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FORENSIC SCIENCE LABORATORY

The Laboratory was established in 1958 by merging into it the former office of Chemical Analyser to the Government. It provides comprehensive and prompt scientific aids to the Police in their crime investigation work. Its main functions are examination of diverse physical evidence materials, providing reliable and circumstantial evidence establishing a link or strengthening links in the chain of evidence either to detect the guilty or at times acquit the innocent.

The laboratory has different divisions such as biology, serology, toxicology, physics, general analytical-cum-instrurnentation and prohi­bition. It undertakes examination of blood stains, seminal stains, hair and other biological material in cases of criminal offences of violence; viscera, blood, etc., in homicidal, suicidal or accidental poisoning; diverse materials like paint, petroleum products, inks, oils, soils, cement, glass, metals, industrial chemicals, etc. in cases of murder, arson, explosions, thefts, vehicle accidents etc. It also undertakes analysis of materials collected under the Bombay Prohibition Act. It was situated in the J. J. Hospital campus, but has been shifted recently elsewhere.

The Laboratory is well-equipped with modern equipments and it has grown into the biggest institution of its kind in the country. A mobile unit has been provided to assist investigating officers at the important scene of crime. Investigating officers are regularly trained in this labora­tory. It also provides training to forensic scientists of other laboratories and officers of the State Government departments.

The following statement gives the statistics of   work done by the Laboratory during 1976 in Greater Bombay area:—

Divisions	Biology	Toxicology	Physics	Ballistics	Prohibition	General analytical
Cases	794	2,697	171	23	18,796	366

The Laboratory is headed by the Director who is assisted in his work by five Deputy Directory eight Assistant Directors and 39 Assistant Chemical Analysers. The number of non-gazetted staff such as Scientific Assistants and Laboratory Assistants stood at 63.

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PUBLIC PROSECUTORS

The main work of public prosecutors is to prepare briefs for the prosecution and to conduct sessions cases. The public prosecutors also sometimes conduct important cases on behalf of departmental heads in the courts of the Metropolitan Magistrates. Proposals for appeals against acquittal and for enhancement of sentences are forwarded to the Government through the public prosecutor along with his opinion. From April 1974 the public prosecutor has to appear on behalf of State in appeals, revisions, transfer applications, bail applications and other miscellaneous applications in the sessions court (appellate side).

As the sessions cases were tried by the High Court from its inception, a firm of solicitors was appointed as public prosecutors for the State of Bombay. Little and Company Solicitors were public prosecutors upto 1937. With the coming into power of the first Congress Ministry, M/s. Mulla and Mulla, Solicitors were appointed public prosecutors in place of the Little and Company. With the inception of City Sessions Court in 1948, the same firm was continued as public prosecutors upto August 1951. The firm was given a panel of eight counsels to attend sessions cases. This system was however abolished from September 1951 and the public prosecutor's office was reconstituted on the level of the district public prosecutors. A public prosecutor, three additional public prosecutors and a panel of special public prosecutors looked after the prosecution work in Bombay. In addition to this there were special public prosecutors attached to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Bombay.

During 1976 there was one public prosecutor, seven additional public prosecutors, and a panel of about 35 special public prosecutors conducting prosecution cases in the sessions court.

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HOME GUARDS

The city of Bombay, the urbs prima in Indis, witnessed in the pre-Independence era some of the worst types of communal disturbances endangering the life, property and peace of citizens and it gave birth to the idea of a voluntary force which could be helpful to the authorities in restoring peace and order. Thus was started the Home Guards organisa­tion in the erstwhile Bombay State in 1946. The establishment of Home Guards is a story of the citizen's dedication to the noble cause of peace and safeguarding of life and property.

The organisation which is voluntary in nature comprises men and women who undertake to receive specialised training outside their normal hours of work and agree to place their services at the disposal of the State during times of emergency. The specialised training generally comprises fire-fighting, rescue, communications, first aid, etc. Thus the organisation prepares citizens for national services so as to be useful in any type of emergency and above all makes them better citizens. The Home Guards are neither meant to act as an additional police force, nor are they a part of any military organisation. It is a voluntary body of spirited citizens, who come together and organise themselves primarily for the purpose of not only protection of life and property but to help the citizens in any type of emergency.

The organisation in Greater Bombay is under the administrative control of the Commandant who is an honorary officer. He is responsible to the Director General of Civil Defence and to the Government in all matters concerning the organisation under his charge. He is assisted in his work by several officers, who are also honorary officers, each being responsible for a specialised subject such as administration, training, arms and ammunition, special services, etc.

The set-up of the organisation in Greater Bombay differs somewhat from that in the other districts of the state due to the large area and population of the city. With a view to decentralise the working of the Home Guards organisation in Greater Bombay and to facilitate recruit­ment, training and also for administrative convenience, Greater Bombay is divided into four areas and eleven zones. The area and zones are put in charge of officers called officers commanding. These officers work in an honorary capacity and are appointed by the Commandant with the approval of the Director General of Civil Defence. Following are the details of areas and zones:—

Area	Zones	Zonal Headquarters
Area-I	A	Dhobi Talao
	B	Princess Street
	C	Lamington Road
Area-II	D	Jacob Circle
	E	Naigaum
	F	Dadar
Area-III	H	Ghatkopar
	J	Kurla
	K	Mulund
Area-IV	G	Andheri
	I	Kandivali

In addition to the above, a women's wing, a mobile column, a head­quarters staff unit, a band unit, a motorists' unit and a communications and wireless wing also form part of the Greater Bombay Home Guards organisation.

The organisation has as its goal, the dual task of inculcating a sense of civic duty and self-sacrifice among citizens to play a useful and active part in forming a stable society. The organisation in Greater Bombay which had a strength of 4,100 home guards in 1976-77 has served the citizens of the city and the State as well. It has to its credit numerous examples of selfless service to the people. In carrying out the task that is entrusted to the organisation from time to time, the members of the women's wing stood shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts. On some occasions the organisation went out of its lawful jurisdiction in order to render help, and amongst these mention may be made of duties performed by the members of the organisation during floods in Surat in 1956; civil defence measures organised in the remote parts of the country like Assam in 1962; special services rendered at the exposition of St. Xavier's body in Goa in 1964, etc. They also rendered yeomen's service during several strikes of Bombay Municipal Corporation employees, and fully manned the essential services such as fire brigade,water supply and hospital services for a number of days.

Initial training to the members of the organisation is given at zonal area level. A number of parades are held in a week and hours of training are adjusted to suit the local conditions. The training comprises squad drill, lathi training and mob control, weapon training, first aid, rescue operations, fire-fighting, civil defence duties and heavy transport driving. Advance training in the specialised subjects like fire-fighting, rescue, first-aid, etc., is given at the Central Training Institute, Ghatkopar, as well as locally through the offices of fire service. As an essential part of practical training in rendering first aid, the home guards are deployed at casualty wards in various Government hospitals in Bombay during night to render assistance to the hospital staff.

The home guards being a voluntary organisation, its members receive no remuneration. However a nominal parade allowance of Rs. 2 per parade is paid to a home guard for expenditure incurred by him in respect of travelling, subject to a maximum of Rs. 12 per month. Similarly an allowance of Rs. 5 per day is given to a home guard when called out on duty to meet expenses in respect of conveyance, food, etc.

The Central Training Institute of home guards is located at Ghatkopar. It imparts advance training to the members of the organisation in the specialised subjects like fire-fighting, rescue, first-aid, etc., as such training facilities are not available at the district level. At present it is the only institute which imparts such training to the District home guards. Sixteen courses in the specialised subjects were conducted during 1974, and, the number of home guards who attended courses were 1192.

 The total strength of civic guards when it was disbanded on  1st December 1945 was 482 in the city and 145 in the suburbs of Bombay. Since 1947 there has been a considerable increase in the number of home guards which can be seen from the following statement:—

	No. of Home Guards
Year	Male	Female	Total
1947	NA	NA	2,470
1950	2,053	57	2,110
1955	1,295	40	1,335
1960	1,419	55	1,474
1965	NA	NA	4,116
1970	NA	NA	3,228
1975	NA	NA	3,905
1980	3,740	523	4,263

During 1983 there were 4,263 Home Guards. The zone-wise strength was as under:—A Zone—123 Home Guards; B—135; C—207; D—854; E-422; F—582; G—304; H—197; 1—170; J—171; and K—132. The rest of Home Guards, viz. 966 were working in women's wing, mobile unit etc.

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JUDICIARY

No code or law courts existed in Bombay during the period of Portuguese supremacy. The systematic attempt to introduce courts of law was made in 1669-70 when, for the civil and military administration of the island, two courts of judicature were formed. At the opening of the eighteenth century judicial functions were exercised by a civilian, styled Chief Justice, and the important cases by the President in Council, these two officials being the only Justices of Peace for the whole island. This system was continued until 1728 when the Mayor's Court was established.

The history of judicial system upto the opening of 19th century shows plainly that the meritorious attempts of East India Company to establish satisfactory law courts were negatived by the extreme vagueness of the various charters issued for that object. The Mayor's Court was abolished and replaced by a Recorder's Court in 1798 and it was invested with the whole civil and criminal jurisdiction of the Mayor's Court and the Court of Oyer and Terminer. In 1823 an Act was passed abolishing Recorder's Court and establishing in its place a Supreme Court of Judicature. This new Court was invested with full powers and authority to exercise and perform all civil, criminal, equity, admiralty and ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the island of Bombay and the factories subordinate thereto; it was invested with jurisdiction similar to the jurisdiction of the King's Bench in England; and generally it was granted all the powers formerly exercised by the Mayor's Court and the Recorder's Court. The inferior courts in the island of Bombay at that period were the Courts of Police Magi­strates opened in 1830, Court of Petty Sessions established in 1836, and the Small Causes Court modified by Act IX of 1850.

In 1858 Queen Victoria took over from East India Company the direct government of the country. This historic event was followed by the passing of an Act of Parliament in 1861 abolishing the Supreme Court, the Sadr Dewani Adalat and the Sadr Faujadari Adalat and establishing in their stead the High Court vested with the entire jurisdiction, power and authority hitherto wielded by the three abolished courts.

Judiciary, an important organ of the Government, is a custodian of the rights of citizens and protector of the innocent from injustice. An excellence of the judicial department is a measuring rod of the excellence of government machinery, and therefore the efficiency and integrity of the judiciary is an essential condition of democracy and confidence in the administration.

Besides the High Court, the judiciary in Bombay comprises a City Civil and Sessions Court, a Small Causes Court, and Metropolitan Magistrates' Courts numbering 49 spread all over the Greater Bombay area. The details of these courts have been given below.( For a detailed history of the Courts, see Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island, Vol. II, 1910, pp. 204-37)

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Courts : The former courts of Presi­dency Magistrates, Bombay, are now styled as the Courts of Metropolitan Magistrates. In 1812 a Rule, Ordinance and Regulation was passed for good order and civil government of the island of Bombay whereby a Senior and Junior Magistrate of Police and a Court of Petty Sessions were created. In 1846 owing to the gradual increase of criminal work the permanent office of 3rd Magistrate of Police was created. These three Magistrates of Police and the Court of Petty Sessions were finally abolished by the Presidency Magistrates' Act of 1877. The same Act was repealed by the Criminal Procedure Code (Act X of 1882), whereby second and third Presidency Magistrates were placed on the same footing as Magis­trates of First Class. The office of the 4th Presidency Magistrate was created in 1892. The four Presidency Magistrates were subordinate to the High Court and were under its judicial supervision.

With the tremendous growth of city's population and its industrial activities the pressure of work in the criminal courts has been steadily increasing and therefore, by 1976 the number of Metropolitan Magistrates' courts increased to 49. These were located at 14 centres, viz., Esplanade, Mazagaon, Girgaum, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri, Kurla, Mulund, Vikhroli, Borivali, Bombay Central, Bombay V.T., Ballard Pier and Umarkhadi.

These courts have been given a distinct status under the Criminal Procedure Code and the provisions of their procedure, record of evidence, judgement, etc. are different from the provisions applicable to the Courts of First Class Magistrates. In view of the important nature of work done by these courts, they are required to be manned by well-trained and experienced magistrates.

Over and above these 49 courts of Metropolitan Magistrates, there are courts of Honorary Metropolitan Magistrates functioning in Bombay. The administration of Metropolitan Magistrates' Courts is carried on by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate with the assistance of ten Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrates. Government has also created two courts for trial of cases under the Indian Railways Act, designated as Mobile Courts, one for Central Railway and the other for the Western Railway.

In the following are given statistics of cases disposed off and pending in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Courts:—

	Cases
Year	Pending in the beginning	Instituted during	Disposed off	Pending at the end of the year
1974	1,70,587	7,88,435	8,11,835	1,47,187
1978	1,64,194	5,26,165	5,75,519	1,14,840
1982	2,81,768	7,49,838	8,97,593	1,34,013

City Civil and Sessions Court (It was established in 1948) : The main and sole function of this court, as of all courts, is to administer civil and criminal justice within territorial limits of Greater Bombay. It decides declaratory suits, summary suits and commercial causes of pecuniary value of above Rs. 10,000 and below Rs. 50,000 and miscellaneous applications, matrimonial petitions, arbitration petitions, notice of motion, miscellaneous appeals under the Public Premises Eviction Act as also under the Municipal Corporation Act and other Acts. A Judge of this court is appointed as President of Tribunal under the Town Planning Act of 1966.

On criminal side, the court tries sessions cases committed by the Metropolitan Magistrates for trial and also hears corruption cases. This has been made effective from April 1974. The Sessions Court has been invested with jurisdiction to hear criminal appeals and revision applications in cases tried by Metropolitan Magistrates in Greater Bombay and bail applications therein. Bombay city being a commercial and industrial city, the litigations in this court are of varied types and enormous growth of litigation is reflected in the huge volume of work. In the following is given statistics of cases tried by the City Civil and Sessions Court:—

	1974	1975	1976	1980
Civil Side:
Cases pending in the beginning	39,258	40,796	43,452	40,583
Cases instituted during    ..	10,086	9,752	8,913	7,519
Cases disposed off during	8,528	7,083	8,388	8,276
Criminal Side:
Cases pending	293	816	1,086	2,099
Cases instituted	244	1,470	1,697	2,002
Cases disposed off	821	1,236	1,387	2,020

The working days of the court during 1976 amounted to 208. The actual strength of judges during the same year was 24, as against 20 in 1974.

Small Causes Court : For the more easy recovery of small debts, courts known as Court of Small Causes invested with summary powers was established in Bombay. Elsewhere in mofussil area the junior and senior civil judges have small cause powers and sit as small cause courts.

The present Court of Small Causes appears to have grown out of the Court of Requests established by Royal Charter in 1753. Under the provisions of the Small Causes Court Act, 1850, the Small Causes Court commenced working in 1852 being empowered to try all suits not exceeding Rs. 500 in value. By 1882 the work of the High Court had so largely increased that a new Act was passed which empowered the Small Causes Court to hear suits amounting to Rs.2,000 in value and to adjudicate upon all civil suits except those of certain specified kinds.
At present all the judges of this court exercise small causes court powers in money matters upto Rs. 3,000. Appeals and petitions under the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act of 1888 are entertained and heard by the Civil Judge or Additional Civil Judge. Appeals against the orders passed by the authority appointed under the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 are also heard by a judge of this court.

The following is the statistics of cases tried by the court in 1980:—

	Cases pending at the begning of the year	Cases instituted during the year	Cases disposed off during the year
Main cases	52,852	21,247	21,112
Miscellaneous cases	19,509	21,745	17,802

High Court : The Bombay High Court was established under the Act of Parliament of 1861 by Royal Letters Patent, with a plenaiy and comprehensive jurisdiction, embracing suits and matters of every descrip­tion, civil, criminal, testamentary, matrimonial, insolvency, etc. It has an original as well as appellate jurisdiction, the former derived from the then Supreme Court and the latter from the Sadr Dewani adalat and Sadr Faujdari adalat which were merged in the High Court.

By the Government of India Act, 1915, the High Court Act of 1861 was modified and accordingly the High Court was empowered to have superintendence over all courts subject to the appellate jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the High Court was enlarged by the Government of India Act, 1935, to a greater extent. As per the Government of India Order of 1936, Sind was separated from Bombay Province and thus the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court, over Sind ceased since then. Immediately after Independence, the appellate jurisdiction of the High Court increased on account of merger of States. Increase in the juris­diction created many administrative problems for the appellate side. It led to the unification of judicial set-up and absorption of judicial officers from the merged States. However in 1948 the Bombay City Civil and Sessions Court was established and the ordinary jurisdiction of the High Court upto Rs. 10,000 and the original criminal jurisdiction were transferred to that court. In 1951 the jurisdiction of the said court was increased to Rs. 25,000 and thus the jurisdiction on the original side of the High Court was curtailed to that extent.

Many major changes took place after 26 January 1950, i.e. after the Constitution of India came into force. The Constitution enlarged the powers and jurisdiction of the High Court. Article 227 of the Constitution empowered the High Court to have superintendence over all courts and tribunals throughout the territory in relation to which it exercised its jurisdiction. Tribunals which were not subject to the jurisdiction of the High Court were for the first time brought under the superintendence of the High Court. As a result of the enlargement of these powers, the consti­tutional matters have now become one of the most important and exacting part of judicial work. A special civil application branch and the Supreme Court branch of the appellate side were established on account of the increase in the constitutional work. The Bombay Separation of Judicial and Executive Functions Act, 1951 provided for separation of performance of the judicial and executive functions in the then State of Bombay. This Act transferred magistracy and criminal work of the courts to the administrative control of the High Court. The system of honorary magistrates who used to try petty criminal cases in mofussil came to be abolished.

As per the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, a New Bombay State was created comprising part of the then Bombay State, part of Hyderabad State; part of Madhya Pradesh; and territories then existing in the States of Saurashtra and Kutch. The High Court branches were established accordingly at Rajkot and Nagpur. The second reorganisation took place on May 1, 1960 resulting in the bifurcation of the State into Maharashtra and Gujarat. The territorial jurisdiction of the High Court thus decreased.

The new Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, came into force in April 1974. The appeals from orders of the Metropolitan Magistrates which used to come to the High Court went to the Sessions Court in Greater Bombay. The Metropolitan Magistrates were made subordinate to Sessions Judges.

Prior to 1960 there was only one office of the Court Receiver and the Official Liquidator, and it was under the control of the original side of the High Court. In 1960, the said office was bifurcated into two different offices. The newly created office of Court Receiver continued to remain on original side. The other office of the Official Liquidator was taken over by the Central Government and attached to the Department of Company Law Administration.

The functions of the High Court comprise dispensation or administration of civil and criminal justice. The High Court has under its charter and codes of civil and criminal procedure, extensive powers of reference and revision in regard to the decisions of all inferior courts. It exercises a general supervision over the working of these courts, both civil and criminal, by reason of its appellate and revisional powers, and by periodic personal visits of judges. The sanctioned posts of Judges were 41 in 1980.

In the following are given the statistics of institution and disposal of cases on original and appellate side since 1961 for a few years:—

	Original		Appellate
Year	Institution	Disposal	Institution	Disposal
1961	3,028	3,186	17,466	15,526
1964	6,156	5,703	19,776	18,624
1967	6,931	6,018	21,346	18,750
1970	8,567	7,462	21,371	19,101
1973	10,978	8,966	21,895	20,216
1976	13,448	12,392	30,245	29,187
1980	20,526	14,828	25,014	23,803

Sheriff's Court: The Sheriff is an old office in Bombay dating back to 1671. The practice to appoint Sheriffs in the metropolitan cities including Bombay has been continued even after Independence. The office certainly came in the wake of the connection with the British Crown. The first Sheriff in the country was appointed in Bombay by Letters Patent on 24 September 1726. It was believed that the office of Sheriff had probably been created by the local government with the assent of the London company under the Charter 20 of Charles II of March 1665 which made over Bombay to that company and empowered the company to do all things necessary for the complete establishment of justice and enable them or the Governor of Bombay to delegate judges for the purpose.

The complete indemnity to the Sheriff of Bombay from persoual responsibility came to be given only since 1930 though the position had been honorary in 1897. In regard to relation to Mayor of Bombay Municipal Corporation, the Mayor and Sheriff are called respectively, the first and second citizens. The Sheriff is appointed by the Government whereas the Mayor is elected. The significance of the Sheriff can be under­stood from the fact that the Sheriff has been throughout considered a link between the official hierarchy and the common unofficial public. Thus the dignity and importance attached to the office of the Sheriff arises from the customary and time honoured treatment of it as a position representing the people, in spite of representative institutions having come up.

There are a few items of insignia attached to the office of Sheriff. In Bombay there was only a silver oar first made in 1810 bearing the British Crown and inscriptions that it was given in the 50th year of the reign of George III. In 1966 a new emblem was made in hexagonal shape and has the State emblem on both its sides replacing the Crown and inscriptions.

Though the office of Sheriff is under the administrative control of the Law and Judiciary Department of the Government, by nature of the duties performed it is an executive office and not judicial. The main functions of the Sheriff are as under: To serve and execute the writs, orders and warrants issued by the High Court and City Civil Court, Bombay; to receive money in execution proceedings and make payments pursuant.to the orders of the Court; to serve and return all processes issued by the Supreme Court; to serve witness subpoenas in sessions cases; and to sell attached properties by public auctions. Formerly the Sheriff was closely associated with the selection of Justices of Peace. However, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act of 1973 abolished the institution of Justices of Peace. There is a second category of duties of the Sheriff as a public functionary, which have become really important and which give today the entire justification for the position itself. The direct personal responsibilities of the Sheriff are to meet very important persons on their arrival in and departure from the city, to entertain dignitaries and prominent people, and to convene public meetings. These functions make the Sheriff a valuable link of much practical utility between the official hierarchy and the public.

Among other functions, the Sheriff of Bombay is an ex officio member of the Beggar's Act Advisory Committee, Small Savings Scheme, Social Welfare Committee, the Mayor's Fund Committee, the National Integra­tion Council and also the Chairman of Association of Sheriffs and such other Committees as may be set up from time to time. The Sheriff is also an ex officio member of Board of Visitors to the common prisons.

The establishment of the Sheriff's office in Bombay is by no means small. There is a lot of work in connection with the serving of processes of the courts, protection of properties attached by the Sheriff in execution proceedings, etc. There are special bailiffs appointed by the Sheriff who are authorised clerks of the solicitors and advocates.

Coroner's Court: As a natural rule, a human being cannot escape from death. Nobody feels it necessary to inquire into causes of a natural death of a person. But if a person meets any unnatural death, it gives wide scope to inquiiy into such matter. To find out the various causes of unnatural death the Government appointed the Coroner's Courts. The inflow of population in Bombay attracted by over flourishing business and trade of this city, resulted into overcrowding of population. The scarcities, slum conditions, etc., were some of the reasons for increasing the incidence of crime which proved a very serious problem both to society and to the police. In order to go into the instances of such unnatural deaths like accidents, murders, drowning etc., the British Government passed a legislation viz., the Bombay Coroner Act of 1871 and accordingly established Coroner's Courts in Bombay and Calcutta. The work of Coroner's Court is based on the system of county councils prevailing in England.

The Coroner is one of the oldest English institutions. It was devised by Hubert Walter in 1194 and its earlier full title was " keeper of the king's pleas ". Subsequently the English usage was shortened first to coronarius, then to coronator and now to coroner or crowner. Bombay had a Coroner in 1701, and in 1793 he was vested with the same powers as Coroners in England. The legislature has created the post of Coroner within the local limits of the ordinary original civil jurisdiction at Fort Williams and Bombay. The appointment of the Coroner of Bombay is now made on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission, while the Deputy Coroner is appointed by the Coroner with the approval of the State Government. A police surgeon is attached to the office of the Coroner of Bombay. He performs the post-mortem examinations under the directions of the Coroner.

Procedure of Court: The jurisdiction of Coroner of Bombay extends over the limits of Greater Bombay. When he is informed that a person has died a sudden death of which the cause is unknown or has died under any of the circumstances mentioned in the Coroner's Act, 1871, the Coroner proceeds to hold a preliminary inquiry. This includes the examination of a body in the presence of a police officer to whose section the case belongs and if possible in the presence of the relatives or friends. If the Coroner is satisfied with the cause of death and if a post­mortem examination in his opinion is not necessary, he orders the body to be released without post-mortem examination. In other cases he orders the post mortem examination to be done by his Surgeon and thereafter the body is released to the relatives.

The Coroner holds an inquest into the causes of an unnatural death. Such an inquest is held with the help of the jury to decide whether the death of a particular individual was homicidal, suicidal or accidental. In case no definite conclusion is arrived at, the verdict is kept open meaning thereby that the circumstances leading to the death are not clear. As soon as the Coroner comes to know the cause of death no matter how information reaches him, he conducts an inquiry. He is thereby in legal terminology " seized of the matter ". There are certain individuals who are statutorily obliged to inform the Coroner about the death of a person in their care. The Coroner also holds an inquest with the prior sanction of the Government in cases where a body is lying in a place from which it cannot be recovered or where body has been destroyed or disposed off in contravention of any law. He also directs the body to be exhumed where there is reason to believe that a person might have died in any of the circumstances mentioned in the Coroner's Act of 1871.

An inquest into cause of an unnatural death is nothing but a public inquiry held by the Coroner with the help of jury. The object of holding such public inquiry is to satisfy the public conscience that such unnatural death is not hushed up. The Coroner cannot proceed to hold an inquest unless there is a reasonable suspicion that there may have been something peculiar in the death and that it may have been due to causes other than natural causes.

The police usually report to the Coroner cases of murder, manslaughter, infanticide and causing death by dangerous driving, etc. In all these cases the jurisdiction of the Coroner is restricted. He merely opens an inquest to take evidence of indentity and then adjourns for a long period to allow time for criminal proceedings to take place. After the conclusion of criminal proceedings, the Coroner resumes the adjourned inquest, and the finding which is consistent with the finding of the other courts is recorded. All accidents are reported to the Coroner no matter how long a time has been elapsed between the injury and death. Deaths in police custody or in prison or in certified schools are reported to the Coroner mainly in order that a full and unbiased investigation may be held to exclude any suspicion or mal-treatment by the custodian. A full inquiry into the facts is necessary to clear the police authority of any suggestion of negligence or brutal action.

Relation with other Courts: There are two differences between the Coroner's Court and other courts. In a criminal court there is a charge to be answered and in civil action the issue is defined before hearing; but in the Coroner's Court the inquest can be and is often held by the Coroner in the presence of a party concerned causing death of a person and without notice to him. The second difference is that no civil or criminal trial proceeds without adequate evidence but the Coroner must inquire into all cases of deaths which are reported to him.

The daily average number of post-mortems performed under the authority of the Coroner is 32, whereas daily average number of cases reported to the Coroner is 40.  On  1st February 1981, the Court of Additional Coroner of Bombay was established at Vile Parle. In the following is given the work summary of the Coroner of Bombay and the Additional Coroner of Bombay:—

Particulars	Work done in 1983
(1) Cases referred to Coroner and Additional Coroner—
(a) by Police	13,901
(b) by Hospitals	1,566
(2) Post-mortem exam. done by both courts	9,618
(3) Deaths declared natural by courts	5,894
(4) Inquests disposed by both courts	4,158
(5) No. of dead bodies handed over to medical colleges	146

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LOKAYUKTA AND UPALOKAYUKTA

This is a statutory organisation set up under the Maharashtra Loka­yukta and Upalokayukta Act, 1971 for investigation of administrative action taken by or on behalf of the Government of Maharashtra or certain public authorities such as municipal councils and corporations, zilla parishads, panchayat samitis, other corporations and establishments owned by or controlled by the State Government.

It is an autonomous organisation functioning in accordance with the provisions of the above Act since October 1972. The Lokayukta and Upalokayukta are appointed by the Governor for a period of five years. They cannot hold any office of trust for profit or be connected with the political parties during their tenure. They are required to present their annual report to the Governor and the Legislature.

For the purpose of jurisdiction, the definition of public servant under the Act includes Ministers, excluding Chief Minister, secretaries to the Government, presidents and vice-presidents of zilla parishads, chairmen and deputy chairmen of panchayat samitis and standing or subjects committees, presidents and vice-presidents of municipal councils, persons in the service of any local authority or any corporation and any Govern­ment company in which not less than 51 per cent of the paid up share capital is held by the State Government and any society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 which is subject to the control of the State Government.

Functions : The Lokayukta and Upalokayukta investigate complaints involving (1) vigilance and allegations which cover corruption, favouritism, lack of integrity, and (2) grievance involving injustice or undue hardship due to maladministration. They can also start investiga­tions suo motu. The jurisdiction of this authority however, does not cover action which is taken by or with the approval of any court, the Accountant General, the chairman and members of M.P.S.C, the Chief Election Commissioner, Chief Electoral Officer, the Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, or any member of secretariat staff of either House of Legislature, etc.

The investigations by the Lokayukta and Upalokayukta are conducted in private and particularly the identity of the complainant cannot be dis­closed to the public during or after the investigations. However, subject to the restrictions the Lokayukta may make available substance of cases closed or disposed of which may appear to him of general public or academic interest. They may also refuse to investigate any complaint if in their opinion the complaint is frivolous or vexatious or is not made in good faith or there are no sufficient grounds for the investigations. Persons making such false complaint are liable to be prosecuted with the previous sanction of Lokayukta. The information collected by these authorities for the investigation is treated as confidential, and even a court is not entitled to compel these authorities to produce evidence relating to information.

For the time being, the Lokayukta and Upalokayukta do not have a separate investigation agency of their own. For the purpose of obtaining preliminary reports, they utilise Government machinery such as Director General of Police, Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau, Commissioner of Police, Superintendents of Police, Collectors, Secretaries to the Government; Registrar of Co-operative Societies, etc.

Utility of Organisation : In compliance with the recommendations of the Lokayukta and Upalokayukta the competent authorities of the Government took disciplinary action in respect of complaints involving allegations. Where complaints disclosed certain defects in administrative procedure corrective action was suggested to the Govern­ment to streamline administrative procedure and to provide safeguards to eliminate malpractices. The productivity or utility factors worked out on the basis of the effective complaints which were found to be justified and where corrective action was recommended, were 34 per cent in 1973-74 and 27.3 per cent in 1974-75. This productivity or utility factor of the organisation compares favourably with similar factors reported by ombudsmen of other countries of the world.

The following statement shows number of complaints received by the Lokayukta:—

Year	Grievances	Allegations	Total complaints
1972	114	34	288
1973	356	234	767
1974	333	151	756
1975	519	217	1051

The statistics of complaints received and disposed off in 1977 and 1982 is shown below:—

Period	opening balance	Receipts	Total receipts	Disposed off	Balance
1977	1,235	1,314	2,549	1,132	1,417
1982	672	1,868	2,540	1,691	849

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JAIL DEPARTMENT

Upto 1671, no definite reference occurs to the existence of a jail in Bombay. Prior to that period in all probability a portion of the Bombay Castle was utilised as jail. The prisoners were used to be confined in the Dongri fort before 1728. On account of Maratha invasion, the Dongri fort was strengthened and the prison at Dongri was demolished. In 1804, a jail was constructed at Umarkhadi. This too was proved to be insufficient for convicts and the House of Correction at Byculla was accordingly built and prisoners were admitted into it for the first time in 1827.

The Umarkhadi jail at Dongri was known as His Majesty's Common Jail and the daily number of prisoners confined during 1908 were 403. The Civil Jail, formerly known as the Government work house, was located within the walls of H. M.'s common prison. Defaulting debtors, persons who failed to pay Government dues were confined in this jail. The daily average number of prisoners confined were 21 in 1908. The House of Correction which was opened in 1827 at Byculla had accom­modation of 262 prisoners. Persons sentenced upto one year and above were admitted in this jail. It also served as a depot for ex military convicts awaiting deportation. The average number of prisoners were 216 in 1908.

In addition to the above, there were two government work houses attached to prisons, of which the one for females was established in 1884. Besides, the Bombay city had eight police lock-ups. The number of persons confined in these police lock-ups was put at 20,882 and 27,057 in 1901 and 1908, respectively.

In 1950, there were three prisons in Bombay, viz., the Arthur Road Prison, the Byculla House of Corrections and the Worli Detention Camp. The Arthur Road Prison was subsequently upgraded and came to be known as a central prison while that of Byculla Prison was converted into district prison. The Detention Camp at Worli which was opened under circumstances of emergency was closed down in 1961. The details of these prisons are given below :

Bombay Central Prison: This prison was constructed in 1926 and was named as the Arthur Road Prison. Subsequently this name was changed to the Bombay District Prison. In 1974 it was upgraded as the central prison and since then it is known as the Bombay Central Prison. The superintendent is the officer in charge of management of the prison in all matters including discipline, internal economy, punishment etc. The medical, executive and ministerial staff assist him in his routine work.

Although authoiised foi accommodation of 1,074 prisoners, the average population of criminals housed is generally over 1,500. Generally under-trial prisoners are 2/3rd of the total number. Convicted prisoners are transferred to other prisons located at Pune, Nashik, Amravati, Yisapur and Thane as per the classification of prisoners. The authorised total number of prisoners in 1950 were 17,068 which were reduced to 10,552 in 1960 and again increased to 20,254 in 1970. Of 20,254 prisoners, 3,345 were convicted while the rest were undertrials. The number of convicted and under-trial prisoners spread over the year 1980 was 6,254 and 11,390, respectively.

Byculla District Prison : The authorised accommodation of this prison is for 419 prisoners. Spread over the year 1980, there were 24,901 prisoners in this prison of which 22,323 were convicted prisoners and 2,578 undertrial prisoners.

Worli Prison: In 1945, this temporary prison was closed down. How­ever on account of communal riots which erupted in the city and elsewhere the Government was compelled to re-open it. The short term prisoners were detained in it. During 1950 the population of this prison camp was put at 1,107 which considerably increased to 10,645 in 1955 and again to 11,160 in 1960. As this prison was closed down in 1961, the inmates and staff were diverted to the Arthur Road Prison, Byculla Prison, Thane District Prison and Nashik Road Central Prison.

In addition to the above, there was one hospital prison with an autho­rised accommodation of 20 prisoners. In 1983 there were 50 male prisoners in this prison.

Organisation: The Inspector General of Prisons, stationed at Pune, exercises general control and supervision over all the prisons and sub jails in the State. The Superintendents of Bombay Prisons come under the direct control of Regional Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, Western Region, Pune. In their day to day work the Superintendents of Bombay Central Prison and the Byculla District Prison are assisted by the executive, ministerial and medical staff.

Recreational Facilities: As per the rules, the prisoners are provided with recreational and educational facilities. Literacy classes and other recreational programmes are organised in the Bombay Prisons. The prisoners are also employed in the prison maintenance service in the prisons. Prisoners requiring specialised medical treatment from prisons all over the State are transferred to the St. George's Hospital, Bombay.

Board of Visitors: A board of visitors comprising of ex officio and non-official visitors is appointed as per the rules at the Bombay Central Prison and Byculla District Prison.

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DIRECTORATE OF SOCIAL WELFARE

(Correctional Administration Wing and Non-Correctional Wing)

With the industrialisation and concentration of population in this industrial city, social problems like juvenile delinquency, destitution and vagrancy came up. In old days the joint family was capable of meeting all the problems which arose either in respect of children or adults. Until late in last century, in Bombay there was no problem like juvenile delinquency as compared to the other parts of the world. The problem of juvenile crime and destitution was felt in this century only. Bombay was the first along with Madras and Calcutta to have such problems on a large scale. The Government was moved accordingly to establish the effective machinery to deal with this problem, by passing the Bombay Children Act.

The Directorate of Social Welfare is divided into two wings, one dealing with backward class welfare and the other with correctional work, and work relating to welfare of women and children under the social and moral hygiene programme, and of the physically handicapped. To achieve the goal entrusted to Correctional administration wing, various Acts were passed. The same are mentioned below in brief.

The Bombay Children Act, 1948, provides for the protection of destitute, neglected and victimised children below the age of 16 and seeks reforma­tion of delinquent children through training provided in remand homes and certified schools. The earlier Act of 1924 was applied to the city in 1927 and suburban area in 1931. The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 applicable to Bombay and Pune, is aimed at elimination of beggary.

The Bombay Probation of Offenders Act, 1938, provides for the probation of offenders in lieu of jail punishment in suitable cases recom­mended by the probation officers appointed by the Department of Social Welfare. The Act is applicable to the Western region of the State. Another piece of legislation, the Bombay Habitual Offenders Restriction Act, 1959, is also applicable to the Western Maharashtra and deals with the prevention of crime and treatment of offenders. Such offenders are sent to the industrial and agricultural settlements for their rehabilitation. Offenders between age-group of 16 and 21 are dealt with by the Bombay Borstal School Act of 1929. Under the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, 1958, the Directorate of Social Welfare is responsible for starting protective homes and supervising and admini­stration of these homes provided for in the Act. An all India legislation in this field is the Women's and Children's Institutions Licensing Act, 1956, which provides for the licensing of institutions opened by voluntary agencies for the benefit of women and children.

The Directorate of Social Welfare is actively concerned with the after-care programme pertaining to the welfare of women and children. Character building, formal education and crafts instruction methods through which a child is developed are put to the acid test when a child is released on licence to make his way in the world. To assist it, the Maharashtra State Probation and After-Care Association, a State-wide non-official organisation has been formed to organise probation and after-care services for children, adolescents and lads released from the Borstal school.

Socially Handicapped : The State Government has created effective machinery to deal with the problems of socially handicapped persons. Juvenile offenders, destitutes and victimised children are the three main types of socially handicapped persons.

Juvenile offenders are tried for assault, theft or police cases under various Acts and are committed to the Remand Homes. In case a juvenile is in need of institutionalisation, he is sent to a Government certified school. The second category is of the destitute coming under the purview of section 40 of the Bombay Children Act, and includes deliberately abandoned children. These also include a large number of deaf and dumb, mentally deficient and physically handicapped children and such cases are admitted to remand homes by the police. In such cases the juvenile aid police unit is much concerned. When the parents are not traced out these children are committed to some other institutions certified by the Government as fit person institutions. The last category of juveniles consists of victimised children covered under section 78 of the Bombay Children Act. These include victims of rape, kidnapping, cruelty, etc., and such cases are admitted in remand homes. Reconciliation between the juvenile and the parents is effected by the clinic, probation officers, social workers and the psychiatrists.

In the following are given the details of various institutions dealing with socially handicapped.

Remand Homes: It is a place of safety as well as observation. All facilities for observation of child's personality are provided in such home. It is also a place where diagnosis of difficulties of a child is made by a probation officer and the treatment programme is suggested to overcome these difficulties. During 1976-77, there were two remand homes in Bombay, viz., Remand Home for boys and girls at Umarkhadi and the New Remand Home for boys at Mankhurd. Both these homes are managed by the Children's Aid Society,( This Society is doing an excellent work for the welfare of delinquent, and  destitute children. For details refer Chapter 18.) Bombay. The home at Umarkhadi is the oldest institution of its kind and was established in 1927, whereas remand home at Mankhurd was started in 1960. The average population of these two homes during 1970-71 was 580 and 200, respectively. The remand homes in other districts of the State are managed by the District Probation and After-care Association while in Bombay they are away from direct Government control and supervision.

Certified Schools : When it is observed that the delinquent children cannot improve by undertaking methods such as restoring them to their parents, release on probation or good conduct they are committed to a certified school or a fit person institute for a long range treatment lasting upto the age of 18 years. In the institute of this nature, children are housed, fed, clothed, educated and mentally cared for. Vocational training of varied nature is imparted in these institutions. Thus the object of a certified school is character building and all efforts are concentrated towards this object.

During 1956-57 there were eleven certified schools in Bombay City and suburbs with a maximum accommodation for 1,375 children. This number however remained the same during 1976-77. These certified schools are: A. B. Sawla Orphanage, Byculla ; B. Jeejeebhoy Home, Matunga; Happy Home for Blind, Worli; David Sassoon Industrial School, Mahim; Shraddhanand Mahilashram, Matunga; St. Catherine's Home, Andheri; Bombay Vigilance Association Shelter, Dadar; Chembur Children's Home, Mankhurd; Home for Mentally Deficient Children, Mankhurd; Rescue Home of the Maharashtra State Women's Council, Umarkhadi; and Salvation Army Home for Women and Children, Sion. AH these institutions are run by charitable trusts including the Children's Aid Society which manages three institutions. The oldest institution is the David Sassoon Industrial School, Mahim, which was established in 1854.

Fit Person Institutions: Under the Bombay Children Act, 1948, problematic children, victimised children and youthful offenders are apprehended and are admitted in remand homes for observation and care. Then they are produced before juvenile courts and are sent to Government approved centres, private approved centres and fit person institutions as per the orders of the court for care treatment, training and rehabilita­tion. The stay of a child in fit person institution is of a long duration upto 18 years in case of boy and 20 years in case of a girl. The programme and services are on firm footing in these institutions with the ultimate aim of rehabilitation of the child by way of release on licence, discharge, restoration, marriage, transfer etc.

The details of these institutions are given below:—

Year	No. of institutions run by voluntary agencies	Intake capacity	Admitted during year	Total inmates	Average attendance per day	Rehabilitation	Grant-in aid paid (Rs.)
1978-79	18	1,500	434	1,882	1,031	480	6,10,000
1983-84	18	1,420	370	1,628	1,252	386	9,34,000

Reception Centres, etc. : The programme for women's welfare falls in two categories, statutory and non-statutory. Under the statutory part the programme is implemented in pursuance of the provisions of the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, 1956. The State Government has established a protective home at Chembur under the nonstatutory part, for women in distress and in moral danger who are in need of shelter, and protective care and rehabilitation are provided in the reception centres and State Homes. In a reception centre the stay of women and girls is for a short period and they are then sent to the State Homes for long term training and further rehabilitation. These programmes are carried through Government institutions and voluntary institutions which have been given grant-in-aid.

In the following are shown the details of these institutions:—

Year	Government institutions		Intake capacity		Total inmates	Average attendance per day	Rehabilitation	Per capita expenditure per month (Rs.)
	Reception Centre	Protective Home	RC	PH
1978 -79	1	1	40	100	304	166	355	99
1983 -84	2	1	40	90	248	65	152	331

Rescue Homes: In the field of women's welfare programme voluntary agencies are running rescue homes for giving shelter to destitute, deserted women and women in moral danger. These institutions admit women voluntarily above the age of 18 years. These institutions are paid grant-in-aid at the rate of Rs. 45 per inmate per month. In the following are given the details of these institutions:—

Year	No. of rescue homes	Intake capacity
			Total inmates	Average No. of inmates per day	Rehabilitation	Grant-in-aid paid
						Rs.
1978 -79	4	915	941	386	503	1,98,000
1983 - 84	4	500	355	325	30	2,10,000

Juvenile Guidance Centres: These centres are opened in slum and semi-slum areas for providing recreational activities for children staying in slum areas. Such organised activities keep the children occupied during their leisure hours and keep them away from falling an easy prey to anti­social elements.

The organisers of such centres keep a watch on the children who show disorderly behaviour and try to help them by contacting their families and schools. Needy children attending the centres are given financial assistance for text books, school uniform, medical treatment, etc. The programme thus aims at prevention of juvenile delinquency. In the following are given the details of these institutions:—

Year	No. of centres	No. of beneficiaries	Expenditure
			Rs.
1978 -79	13	845	37,000
1983 - 84	13	975	17,000

Besides, there were 16 centres run by the Government with a total strength of 100 beneficiaries. The expenditure on this centre amounted to Rs. 22,000 in 1983-84.

Orphanages: Under the non-statutory category of the programme regarding child welfare, Government gives grant-in-aid at the rate of Rs. 45 per month per child to the voluntary agencies who run orphanages which are recognised and given licences under the Women and Children Institution Licensing Act. These institutions are under private control and the children are not court committed. Services of care, medical treatment, and literacy, are provided to the children. Their rehabilitation is tried by way of foster care, adoption, etc.

In the following statement are furnished the details of these centres:-

Year	No. of orphanages	Intake capacity	Total inmates	Grant-in aid
				Rs.
1978 - 79	6	900	491	2,10,000
1983 - 84	6	700	550	2,92,000

Beggars' Home : With a view to eradicating the menace of begging in the State, the Government of Bombay enacted Prevention of Begging Act in 1945 which was amended in 1959 and 1976. The Act is not a penal measure but a social legislation for the protection, treatment, care and rehabilitation of the beggars. The Act is presently applicable to the cities of Greater Bombay, Pune and Nagpur. A person committed under the Act is first admitted to a receiving centre for beggars where his case is screened and is classified for commitment for a long term stay to a particular beggar home. Local bodies to which the Act is applicable have to pay their contributions for the expenditure on maintenance of beggars domiciled from their area every year as per the Act. Accordingly the Greater Bombay Municipal Corporation pays Rs.20,00,000.

No estimate of the number of beggars in Maharashtra is available. It is however guessed that Greater Bombay alone harbours between 75,000 to 1,50,000 beggars. With a view to combating the increased menace of beggary in the city of Bombay the Government undertook a massive crash programme for the arrest of beggars, and nearly 23,000 beggars were arrested between April 1976 and August 1977. Out of this nearly 6,000 able bodied beggars were examined and taken to work sites to work on daily wages.

In the following are shown the details of the Government Beggars' Homes:—

Centre	Year	Average No.of inmates	Total (Rs.in'000)	Per capita expenditure (Rs.)
1) Receiving Centre for Beggars, Chembur	1977 -78	900	1,512	1,680
	1982 - 83	378	1,679	1,177
2) Beggars Home for Females, Chembur	1977 - 78	320	1,050	3,281
	1982 - 83	386	1,306	912

With a view to obtaining public participation in the programme, voluntary agencies working in the field are recognised as certified institu­tions under the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act. There are five institutions maintaining beggars in the State, of which three are located in Bombay. These  three institutions get capitation grant at Rs.45 per month per inmate and 100 per cent grant-in-aid on pro rata basis. The details of these three institutions are given below:—

Institution		Sanctioned strength 1977-78	Grart-in aid	Per capita expenditure
King George V Memorial, Bombay, and	}	400	4,00,000	2,000
Lady D.J. Home for Destitute, Bombay
E. F. A Home for Leprosy, Bombay		50	15,000	300

Special nutrition programme : The special nutrition programme in urban slums was introduced by the Government of India in 1970-71 to combat malnutrition amongst children belonging to the weaker sections of the community whose income is below Rs. 200 per month staying in urban slums and in tribal development blocks. The benefits of this programme were extended to the children in the age group of 3 to 6 years as also to the expectant mothers and nursing mothers living in these areas. From April 1974 it has become a State scheme and funds are required to be provided by the State Government.

In Greater Bombay this programme is assisted by the World Food Programme since 1976-77. In the following statement are shown the details of this programme during 1978-79:—

No.of slum areas		Children below 6 years in slums	Expectant and nursing mothers in slums	No of beneficiaries covered			Average cost per beneficiary (in paise)
Total slums	Slums covered			No.of centres	No.of children	No.of mothers
1,812	1,200	2,18,562	21,800	585	11,51,153	1,847	17 to 19 (Food) 1.5 to 1.9 (Transport)

Juvenile Court: Juvenile Court, situated at Umarkhadi, is a statutory court having special jurisdiction over delinquent and neglected children. It is a court of parental power to protect erring and unfortunate children. The purpose of proceedings is not punishment but correction of condi­tions, care and protection of a child. The court goes into the circum­stances which led the child into trouble. The working of this court is different from that of an adult court as there are probation officers attached to this court. These officers are required to carry out necessary home inquiries in respect of parents and the court depends upon the reports of probation officers. In some cases, the court receives great help from the child guidance clinic, social workers and psychiatrists and the decision of the court to a great extent depends upon their findings and recommendations.

The court is presided over by a Metropolitan Magistrate along with a lady honorary magistrate. In the following is shown the work done by the court since 1960 for a few years:—

Year	No. of
	Cases admitted	Cases disposed off
1960	3,831	3,174
1970	1,931	1,876
1975	2,600	2,200
1976	3,436	3,380

Physically Handicapped: The Directorate of Social Welfare is also in charge of work relating to education and rehabilitation of physically handicapped persons. The main programme under this category is education and training of physically handicapped children and adults, which envisages the opening of special schools. For adult deaf, mute and crippled, sheltered workshops are established which provide them tiaining and jobs in suitable trades under special working conditions, enabling them to earn wages and thereby become self-supporting. Government have started institutions for such persons and grants financial aid to voluntary agencies doing work in this field.
The first school for the physically handicapped, viz., the Bombay Institution for Deaf and Mute was started in Bombay in 1885. It was managed by the Roman Catholic Mission. The progress in this field was very slow, as upto 1954-55 there were only eight institutions in Bombay of which four were for the blind and two each for deaf, mute and mentally handicapped persons.(For  details of institutions serving the cause of the physically handicapped, see Chapter 18.)

The statistics of voluntary recognised institutions for the blind, deaf and mute, and mentally retarded persons in Greater Bombay in 1978-79 and 1983-84 are given below:—

(1) Institutes for Blind

Year	Institutes		Sanctioned strength		Average No. of beneficiaries		Expenditure (Rs.)
	Schools	Workshops	Schools	Workshops	Schools	Workshops	Schools	Workshops
1978 -79	4	5	350	475	240	400	3,66,757	2,53,040
1983 - 84	3	5	380	500	..	..	7,03,000	4,00,000

(2) Institutes for Deaf and Mute

Year	No of institutes	Sanctioned strength	Average No. of beneficiaries	Expenditure by way of grant-in-aid
1978 -79	9	495	480	4,15,789
1983 - 84	12	885	..	13,00,000

(3) Voluntary recognised institutes for mentally retarded

Year	Institutes		Sanctioned strength		Average beneficiaries		Expenditure (Rs.)
	Schools	Workshops	Schools	Workshops	Schools	Workshops
1978 - 79	6	1	295	50	280	45	3,56,082
1983 - 84	6	1	750	50	..	..	10,75,000

The details of work done by voluntary recognised institutions for the orthopaedically handicapped is shown below:—

Year	No of institutions		Beneficiaries		Expenditure (Rs.)
	Schools	Workshops	Schools	Workshops
1978 -79	4	2	100	160	1,50,521
1983 - 84	2	3	..	..	4,60,000

A mention may be made of the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Physically Handicapped, Kurla, run by the Government of India. This centre was established in 1968. It evaluates the handicapped vocationally, and examines their physical and mental capacity to perform various jobs. Physically handicapped persons are given necessary counselling and workshop training to adjust them in their work habits. Handicapped persons are placed in suitable jobs with the help of special employment exchange. From 1968 to 1976, the centre rehabilitated 1362 handicapped persons of which 175 were blind.

Special Employment Exchange: A special employment exchange for the physically handicapped was set up in 1959. It registers applicants from among the blind, deaf and dumb, and orthopaedically handicapped and handicapped due to respiratory disorder. The exchange undertakes a careful study of available jobs for identification of those which can be performed in spite of certain physical handicaps, canvassing prospective employers with an approach for consideration of disabled persons on competitive basis as regards performance, introduction of a disabled candidate to the job selected for him in consultation with the employers, getting minor adjustments made to ensure easy physical increments, and follow-up in each case till the candidate is settled in the job to his own satisfaction and that of employers.

Since its inception up to 1977, the exchange registered 5,483 handi­capped persons. Of 2,238 candidates placed in gainful employment during the same period, 1,680 were orthopaedically handicapped, 399 deaf and mutes, 152 blind and 7 handicapped due to respiratory disorder.

In the following statement is shown the work done by the exchange in a few years since 1960:—

	No of
Year	Registrations	Placements
1960	155	68
1965	209	77
1970	324	143
1975	315	87
1977	563	276
1980 1983	1,007	350

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TABLES

Table No.1
STATISTICS OF COGNIZABLE AND NON-COGNIZABLE CRIME, GREATER BOMBAY

Year	Cognizable crime reported to		Non-cognizable crime
	Police	Magistrates
1920	67,013	9,209	22,400
1930	76,822	22,986	23,373
1940	1,55,814	25,913	47,955
1950	2,80,147	2,15,493	1,20,062
1960	5,10,075	3,573	1,59,156
1970	3,60,416	3,064	65,403
1980	4,60,922	1,689	64,961

TABLE NO.2

COGNIZABLE CASES UNDER VARIOUS ACTS, GREATER BOMBAY

	Cases Under
Year	Indian Penal Code	Local Laws And Special Acts
1920	12,191	54,822
1930	NA	NA
1940	11,354	1,44,460
1950	22,935	2,57,212
1960	18,524	4,91,551
1970	25,763	3,34,653
1980	36,695	4,25,300

TABLE NO 3

STATISTICS OF IMPORTANT CRIME, GREATER BOMBAY

Year	Total cognizable crime reported to police (IPC only)	Rioting	Murder	Kidnapping and abduction	Dacoity Robbery		Housebreaking	Cheating	Breach of trust
1950	22,935	172	119	223	27	408	3,264	1,364	1,671
1955	15,888	132	142	166	13	158	1,711	807	1,088
1960	18,041	155	133	152	17	215	1,579	779	1,129
1965	26,304	273	152	196	12	339	1,934	913	1,267
1970	25,464	338	146	173	30	218	1,843	731	1,010
1975	33,265	228	165	172	27	315	2,763	1,022	1,097
1980	35,614	231	217	219	54	382	2,343	1,040	924

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