This is a reliable weapon that governments have to buy time whenever something gets out of hand: appoint a commission of inquiry.
On Wednesday, the government appointed a single-judge commission to look into lapses “if any” by the Delhi Police in the recent gang-rape case. The report has to be submitted in three months.
Is there any doubt about the culpability of the police? Why is a judicial commission of inquiry needed to assign responsibility for lapses (“if any”)? There are simple, less cumbersome, administrative procedures to do what is required.
The commission has been tasked with suggesting measures to improve the safety and security of women in Delhi and the NCR. This is wholly unnecessary. The answer is simple: effective policing.
It is not as if the government does not know what is needed.
