(ii) Collection of Land Revenue:

Prior to 1948, collection of land revenue in the Kapurthala District—then a princely state—was given prime importance by the rulers. Defaulters were severely punished and their lands were attached for sale. The lambardar was responsible for the collection of dues and was paid a cess, called pachotra at 5 per cent of the land revenue. After 1948, due to reduced fear of administration the number of those evading the payment of Government dues increased which affected the prestige of the lambardar considerably. To overcome this, superior posts of Zaildar’s and lambardars were created, which however, were abolished in 1964 leaving the lambardar once again to collect the revenue.

The duties and responsibilities of the lambardar and the cess paid to him are the same in the district as all over the Punjab State. He collects the revenue from the right-holders and in this he gets help from the chowkidar, another village official and the patwari who is a government official. Now, the lambardar also collects abiana and water advantage rate for which he is paid 3 per cent and 5 per cent respectively, as collection charges.

(iii) Income from Land Revenue and Special Cesses:

Land Revenue:

The land revenue which was fixed in the last settlement of 1921—30 is realised even to this day since there had been no further settlement thereafter. It is realized in two instalments, i.e., for kharif crops by the 15 January and for rabi crops by the 15 June.

In 1961, the Punjab Land Revenue (Thur, Sem, Chos and Sand) Remission and Supervision Rules, 1961, were enforced, under which land revenue of all lands rendered unculturable on account of thur and sem is remitted.

The following statement gives the details of income from land revenue and remission in the Kapurthala District, during 1976-77 to 1981-82 :-

Year ending Rabi	Recovery (Rs.)	Remission (Rs.)
1976-77	2,78,404	-
1977-78	3,00,877	-
1978-79	2,99,182	-
1979-80	2,96,475	-
1980-81	3,12,624	-
1981-82	3,11,288	-

(Source: Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala )

Special Cesses:

Besides the land revenue, the following cesses are levied on the landowners in the district.

Village Officers’ Cess

In the princely state of Kapurthala, the revenue administration was carried on more or less on the same lines as in Punjab. Therefore, the patwar cess, which was previously included in the village officers’ cess, was remitted in 1906 as in Punjab. Thereafter, a cess of 5 per cent was charged at lambardars’ commission ; whereas before the abolition of the posts of Zaildars and Inamdars in August, 1964, these officials were not paid out of the village officer’s cess but from the state exchequer.

Local Rate

Local rate has grown from small beginnings. It was usual in early settlements to levy a road cess at one per cent of the land revenue. Subsequently, education and postal cesses amounting to one per cent and half per cent, respectively, were added. With the passage of the Punjab Local Rates Act (XX) of 1871, a local rate amounting to 6¼ per cent on land revenue was imposed which was further raised to 8 per cent in 1878.

With the passage of the Punjab Board Act (XX) of 1883, the road, education and postal cesses were merged in the local rate, and the legal limit of the rate was raised to 12½ per cent of the land revenue and owner’s rate. Under this Act, the whole of the local rate was credited to the District Board. It was further raised to 25 per cent from kharif 1947 and to 50 per cent from kharif 1948 which continues to be enforced. According to the Punjab Panchayat Samities and Zila Parishad Act, 1961, all land shall be subject to payment of a rate to be called the local rate at the rate of twenty five naya paise per rupee of its annual value.

The following table shows the amount of local rate collection in the district, from 1976-77 to 1981-82 :-

Years ending Rabi	Local rate collections (Rs.)
1976-77	2,71,005
1977-78	2,75,150
1978-79	2,60,764
1979-80	2,73,590
1980-81	2,56,193
1981-82	2,71,225

(Source: Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala)

Surcharge on Land Revenue

The assessment of land revenue at the time of the last settlement of 1921—30 was based on the prices of produce, which prevailed at that time. Since then, the prices of agricultural commodities have increased manifold and there should have been a corresponding increase in the share of the Government also. But it was not considered advisable to undertake the tedious, costly and lengthy process of settlement and the Punjab Land Revenue (Surcharge) Act, 1954, was passed which was made applicable to this district in 1956 on the merger of PEPSU with the composite Punjab. It was laid down in the Act that every landowner paying land revenue in excess of ten rupees and below thirty rupees would pay 25 per cent of the land revenue as surcharge and if he paid in excess of thirty rupees, the applicable rate would be 40 per cent.

The income from surcharge in the district from 1971-72 to 1974-75 is given below :

Year ending Rabi	Income from surcharge (Rs.)
1971-72	71,171
1972-73	67,044
1973-74	67,121
1974-75	32,343

(Source: Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala )

Additional Land Revenue

The Punjab Land Revenue (Surcharge) Act, 1954, and the Punjab Land Revenue (Special Charges) Act, 1958, were repealed with effect from the kharif harvest of the agricultural year 1974-75, by the Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Act, 1974, which instead levied additional land revenue on every land-owner who paid in excess of twenty rupees per year.

The income from additional land revenue in the district, from 1976-77 to 1981-82 is given below :

Year ending Rabi	Income from additional land revenue (Rs.)
1976-77	1,05,569
1977-78	97,577
1978-79	92,708
1979-80	91,853
1980-81	67,161
1981-82	78,427

(Source: Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala )

Abiana

Abiana is charged on the area irrigated by canals. The income from this source in the district, between 1976-77 to 1981-82 is given below:

Year	Income from Abiana (Rs.)
1976-77	5,76,236
1977-78	5,34,002
1978-79	6,55,413
1979-80	6,31,812
1980-81	4,92,707
1981-82	6,51,820

(b) Land Reforms

Prior to the institution of land reforms during the first and the Second Five-Year Plans, over half the land cultivated was under the tenancy system of cultivation in which the actual cultivator had no locus standi on the land rent for this half of share of the harvest. The land reform laws seek to eliminate exploitation and social injustice within the agrarian system and provide security and the tiller of the soil. Most of the rent receiving tenures has been abolished and with regard to the minor tenures left so far, there has been a considerable regulation and scaling down of rents. The most important of all reforms, however, is the conferment of ownership rights on certain classes of tenants.

The object of tenancy reforms is to create a class of owner cultivators who have a feeling of unquestioned security on the land that they till and who put in their best efforts to improve productivity. This has had the desired result and both production and productivity have gone up.

After the Independence of the country, the Government was committed to better the lot of tenants and inferior landowners. To achieve this object, the PEPSU Government controlling the entire area of the present Kapurthala District, and (from 1956) the Punjab Government brought several legislature measures before the respective legislature, which became law. There are:

1. The East Punjab Utilization of Lands Act, 1949

2. The PEPSU Abolition of Ala Malkiyat Rights Act, 1954

3. The PEPSU Occupancy Tenants (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Act, 1954.

4. The PEPSU Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1955

5. The Punjab Bhudan Yagna Act, 1955

6. The Punjab Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1957

7. The Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961

8. The Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972

Under the East Punjab Utilization of Lands Act, 1949, which covered Kapurthala District from 1956, the Collector can take into possession and lease out any land which can be cultivated but has not been cultivated for the last six harvests. Under the PEPSU Abolition of Ala Malkiyat Rights Act, 1954, the superior landowners were abolished and the inferior landowners were upgraded and for this the superior landowners were given five times the amount of rent they got from the inferior landowners by way of compensation the PEPSU Occupancy Tenants (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Act, 1954, the occupancy tenants were made full-fledged landowners accountable to for paying land revenue, and the erstwhile landowners were compensated. This measure ended an anachronism by eliminating an outmoded class of landowners of doubtful legitimacy and made the land secure for the actual tiller. Besides the classes of cultivators mentioned above, large areas were cultivated by tenants-at-will who were at the mercy of landlord, as they had no security of tenure nor fixed amount of rent. The PEPSU Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1955, not only gave security to them but also laid down the maximum amount of rent and prescribed certain grounds on which alone tenants could be ejected. The maximum area that could be cultivated by a landlord himself was also prescribed. In 1972, the Punjab Land Reforms Act was drafted and passed on the 14 December to remove certain flaws in earlier legislation.

In order to carry out the objectives of the Act, the Punjab Land Reforms Rules, 1973, were framed. A scheme, viz. the Punjab Utilization of Surplus Areas Scheme, 1973, was also introduced under the provisions of the Act.

Land worked as surplus after applying the ceilings prescribed by law is being distributed to landless agricultural workers, members of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and tenants who own no land or have less than two hectares of the first quality land.

While this socio-economic reform has been achieved without disturbance, there are instances where his landowners have requested their holdings under different names and to that extent thwarted the process. However, Kapurthala District not having many such, the impact of these devices is not significant.

The distribution of land among various classes of cultivators/landholders in the district, during 1976-77 to 1981-82 is given below:-

(Area hectares)

Class of cultivation/ Landholders	1976-77	1977-78	1978-79	1979-80	1980-81	1981-82
Total cultivated area	1,42,453	1,42,911	1,47,322	1,47,332	1,46,858	1,47,527
Tenants-at-will	4,183	4,184	3,428	3,977	3,976	3,948
Tenants with right of occupancy	-	-	-	-	-	-
Owners	1,38,270	1,38,727	1,43,894	1,43,355	1,42,882	1,43,579

(Source: Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala )

Consolidation of holdings:

Consolidation work was started in the Kapurthala District in the early fifties when it was a part of the erstwhile PEPSU State. At the time of its merger with the Punjab State on 1 November 1956, an area measuring 41,758 hectares had been consolidated in the district.

The total area brought under consolidation in the District upto 31^st March, 1982 was 1,54,282 hectares.

Rural Wages and Condition of Agricultural Labour:

The economic condition of agricultural labour is still a matter for concern. Labour is easily available and is generally employed on daily wages. Through wages have increased during the past few yet, year there in no such thing as collective bargaining nor concerted action.

The wages paid to agricultural and skilled labourers (males) in one selected village, viz. Bhulla Rai (1977—82) in the district, are given in the following statement: -

Daily Wages Paid to Agricultural and Skilled Labourers (Males) in Village Bhulla Rai in Kapurthala, District 1977 to 1982

Year ending 30th June	Agricultural Labour						Skilled Labour
	For Plough-ing (Rs.)	For Sow-ing (Rs.)	For Weed-ing (Rs.)	For Harvest-ing (Rs.)	For* Picking Cotton (Rs.)	For other agricultural operations (Rs.)	Balcksmith (Rs.)	Carpenter (Rs.)
1977	7.50	7.50	7.50	8.55	..	13.63	12.62	12.57
1978	9.55	9.55	9.50	13.50	..	8.89	20.31	20.31
1979	12.27	12.27	12.75	16.25	..	..	23.83	23.83
1980	13.00	13.00	13.00	17.00	10.00	13.00	23.00	23.00
1981	13.00	13.00	13.00	13.00	11.00	13.00	23.25	23.25
1982	13.00	13.00	13.00	13.00	11.00	13.00	23.00	23.00

*For female worker. (Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1977 to 1982)

(c) Other Sources of Revenue, State and Central

(i) Other Sources of State Revenue:

Besides land revenue, the other sources of State revenue are: Stamp Duty, Registration Fee, Excise on liquor, Motor Spirit Tax, Sales Tax, Passengers and Goods Tax, Entertainment Tax, Entertainment Duty, Central Sales Tax, Electricity Duty and Copying Fee.

Stamp Duty:

It is levied under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, which was amended by the Indian Stamp (Punjab First Amendment) Act, 1922, and the Indian Stamp (Punjab Second Amendment) Act, 1960. This duty is derived from two classes of stamps—judicial or court fee, and non-judicial or revenue. The Act requires the Collector to ensure that documents are properly stamped according to the schedule.

The total income realized in the district from the sale of judicial and non-judicial stamps, during 1976-77 to 1981-82, is shown in the following table:-

Year	Judicial Stamps (Rs.)	Non-Judicial Stamps (Rs.)	Total (Rs.)
1976-77	5,31,566	48,89,903	54,21,469
1977-78	6,31,840	59,68,598	66,00,438
1978-79	6,84,363	85,91,350	92,75,713
1979-80	7,34,870	1,00,95,519	1,08,30,389
1981-82	7,89,124	1,39,75,835	1,47,64,959

(Source: Treasury Officer, Kapurthala )

Registration Fee:

Registration of certain documents is compulsory under section 17 of the Indian Registration Act, 1908, and optional under 18 of this Act in case of certain others. As a rule, fees are levied for the registration of all documents but the State Government has wholly or partially exempted levy of registration fee, e.g. of documents pertaining to societies registered under the Co-operative-operative Societies Act and Land Mortgage Banks, (b) mortgage deeds executed by Government servants in respect of advance for house building; and (c) encumbrance certificates issued in connection with loans under the Agriculturists’ Loans Act.

The Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, is the ex-officio registrar of the district, who is under the Inspector-General of Registration Punjab at Jalandhar.

The following statement shows the number of registered documents, value of property transferred and receipts in the district, from 1976-77 to 1980-1981:-

Number and Description of Registered Documents and value of property transferred in Kapurthala District, 1976-77 to 1980-81

Year	No. of Registrations of Property						Aggregate Value of Property Transferred (‘000 Rs.)
	No. of Registration Offices	Immovable Property			Movable Property	Grand Total	Immovable Property	Movable Property	Total	Total Receipts
		Compulsory	Optional	Total
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1976-77	4	9,988	-	9,988	688	10,676	78,376	124	78,500	812
1977-78	5	10,084	3	10,087	-	10,087	87,096	-	87,096	879
1978-79	5	10,633	1	10,634	978	11,612	1,44,794	1	1,44,795	1,235
1979-80	6	11,462	1	11,463	988	12,451	1,73,103	387	1,73,490	1,156
1980-81	6	13,203	-	13,203	1,135	14,338	1,76,761	-	1,76,761	1,142

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab, 1977 to 1981)

Excise Tax:

The State and Central Excise Acts enforced in the Punjab are: The Indian Opium Act, 1878; The Punjab Excise Act, 1914; The Punjab Local Option Act, 1923; The Dangerous Drugs Act, 1930; The Punjab Molasses Control Act, 1948; The Indian Power Alcohol Act, 1948; and the Medicinal and Toilet Preparations (Excise Duties) Act, 1955.

Motor Spirit Tax:

It is levied under the Punjab Motor Spirit (Taxation of Sales) Act, 1939. During 1975-76 the rate of tax on petrol and high speed diesel was 15 paise and 10 paise per litre respective

General Sales Tax:

It is levied under the Punjab General Sales Tax Act, 1948, which repealed the Punjab General Sales Tax Act, 1941. As a Source of revenue, it occupies an important Position in the tax structure. It is not only productive but also has the merit of flexibility.

Passengers and Goods Tax:

It is levied the Punjab Passengers and Goods Tax Act, 1952, on all fares and freight in respect of passengers carried and goods transported in motor vehicles in the State. The rate of tax has been increased from time to time. In 1975-76 it was 35 per cent of the fare/ freight. Now, the annual rate of tax per truck is Rs 100 in the plains as well as in the hilly areas of the Punjab. From taxis and scooter – rickshaws, Rs 408 and 272 per annum are charged respectively as passengers tax.

Entertainment Tax:

The Punjab Entertainments Tax (Cinematograph Shows) Act, 1954, came into force on 4 May 1954. This tax is levied for every show on the number of occupied seats. Tax in no case exceeds the maximum limit per show laid down from time to time under the Act. The maximum limit has been fixed Rs 150 per show, vide Punjab Ordinance No. 4 of 1978.

Entertainment Duty:

The Punjab Entertainment Duty Act, 1955, repealed the Punjab Entertainment Duty Act, 1936, with effect from 4 November 1955. The rates of duty change from time to time. It is, however, provided in the Act that entertainment duty shall not exceed in any case 100 per cent of the payment, for admission and in the case of complimentary passes, the rate of duty shall be 100 per cent of the payment for admission to the relevant class.

Central Sales Tax:

The Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, was passesd to achieve uniformity in sales tax on inter-state sales. The states have been authorized to administer this tax on behalf of the Government of India and the collections are appropriated by the exporting State.

Electricity Duty:

It is levied under the Punjab Electricity (Duty) Act, 1958, to meet the financial burden undertaken by the State on account of introduction of free education and provincialization of local body schools. The duty is levied on the energy supplied by the Punjab State Electricity Board to a consumer or licensee and is collected by the Board along with the bills for the energy supplied.

Copying Fee:

This is levied under the Punjab Copying Fees Act, 1936, for copies of orders, etc., supplied to the public. The charges vary for supplying copies on ordinary and urgent basis.

The collections from the taxes, mentioned above, in the district, during 1976-77 to 1981-82 are given in the following statement:-

Collections from other Sources of State Revenue in the Kapurthala District, 1976-77 to 1981-82

Sl. No.	Tax	1976-77 (Rs.)	1977-78 (Rs.)	1978-79 (Rs.)	1979-80 (Rs.)	1980-81 (Rs.)	1981-82 (Rs.)
1.	Excise Tax	1,35,94,617	1,71,55,584	1,55,56,430	2,32,00,563	2,50,02,576	3,46,12,526
2.	Motor Spirit Tax	-	-	-	-	-	-
3.	Urban Immovable Property Tax	765	73	-	-	-	-
4.	Punjab General Sales Tax	2,05,71,722	2,50,58,958	2,94,49,494	2,14,60,001	2,49,36,893	2,97,62,513
5.	Passengers and Goods Tax	57,94,055	70,39,080	85,87,512	77,88,620	90,49,922	1,03,56,649
6.	Entertainments Tax	1,08,822	1,04,822	1,38,100	1,61,174	1,58,554	1,70,040
7.	Entertainments Duty	14,89,610	15,68,864	17,23,917	18,15,500	18,93,642	20,78,990
8.	Central Sales Tax	72,85,470	79,73,131	87,85,489	92,70,375	1,17,41,049	1,58,77,106
9	Electricity Duty	18,66,821	19,06,547	26,17,043	22,15,786	30,32,393	32,77,221
10.	Copying Fee	16,769	18,788	22,991	22,170	25,999	34,750

(Source: Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Kapurthala; Executive Engineer, Punjab State Electricity Board, Sub-Urban Division, Kapurthala, City Division, Kapurthala, Phagwara Division, Phagwara; and Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala )

(ii) Central Sources of Revenue

Central Excise Duties:

The Assistant Collector, Central Excise Division, Jalandhar, is the overall in-charge with headquarters at Jalandhar.

The main sources of Central Excise Duty in the Kapurthala District are: prepared and preserve food, gases, iron and steel products, rubber products, electric motors, pressure cookers, electric fans, electric batteries, nuts, bolts and screws, cotton yarn, rolling bearings, sugar, etc.

The Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944, is the main guide for central excise assignments.

Income Tax:

It is levied under the Income Tax Act, 1961, which replaced the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922, on 1 April 1962. The rate of income tax varies from year in accordance with the Finance Act passed by the Parliament every year.

Wealth Tax:

It is levied under the Wealth Tax Act, 1957, which came into force 1 April 1957. It is chargeable on the net wealth of an individual and Hindu Undivided Family.

Gift Tax:

It is levied under the Gift Tax Act, 1958, on all gifts made after 1 April 1958, i. e. the date of its enforcement. This tax is also leviable on all gifts made after 1 April 1957 (i.e. from the financial year 1957-58 and the assessment year 1958-59) if the total value of gift, movable exceeds the limit specified by the Finance Act passed by the Parliament in a particular year.

Estate Duty:

The Estate Duty Act, 1953, came into force on 15 October 1953. This duty is leviable on the estates of persons dying after this date. The Kapurthala District falls under the jurisdiction of Assistant Controller of Estate Duty, Jalandhar, for the levy of this duty.

The collections from the Central sources of revenue in the district excluding Phagwara Tehsil, from 1977-78 to 1981-82 are given below :

(Rs. in thousands)

Year	Central Excise Duties	Income Tax	Wealth Tax	Gift Tax	Estate Duty
1977-78*	28,951	-	-	-	-
1978-79	37,743	2,543	23	15	191
1979-80	66,639	3,542	130	15	109
1980-81	70,320	3,842	158	25	139
1981-82	1,00,029	4,283	204	95	490

(Source: Assistant Collector, Central Excise, Jalandhar; Superintendents, Central Excise, Kapurthala and Phagwara; and Commissioner of Income Tax, Jalandhar).

*Since the Income Tax Office, Kapurthala came into existence on 1 November 1978, figures for the year are shown as nil.

The collections** from Income Tax, Wealth Tax, Gift Tax and Estate Duty in respect of Phagwara Tehsil from 1976-77 to 1981-82 are shown in the following table:-

(Rs. in thousands)

Year	Income Tax	Wealth Tax	Gift Tax	Estate Duty
1976-77	2,620	110	40	-
1977-78	3,285	180	70	-
1978-79	3,555	225	90	-
1979-80	3,748	250	30	-
1980-81	4,150	245	30	-
1981-82	3,560	230	40	-

(Source: Commissioner of Income Tax, Jalandhar)

** Figures are given on estimate basis.

CHAPTER XII

LAW AND ORDER AND JUSTICE

v Incidence of Crime in the District

v History and Organization of Police

v Jails and Lock-ups

v Organization of Civil and Criminal Courts

v Bar Associations.

(a) Incidence of Crime in the District

Geographically, the Kapurthala District—a princely state prior to the partition of the country in 1947—is a part of the doab. The people of this district, therefore, do not differ, in traits and character, from those of the Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts. Statistics for 1977-82 indicate that murder, burglary, theft, cattle lifting and cheating occur here and there in the district but there have been few cases of dacoity, robbery and rioting. The district is, thus, more or less immune from heinous crimes. Cattle-lifting and cheating, which were prevalent during the early years of the twentieth century are still common. A comparative study of crime incidence reveals that the people of the district are by and large law-abiding.

An idea regarding the trend of various crimes, etc. in the district during 1977-82 may be had from the following table:-

Number of reported cases relating to various crimes, etc., in the Kapurthala District, 1977-82

Year	All crimes (Class I to VI)	Murder	Dacoity	Robbery	Burglary	Rioting	Theft	Cattle Lifting	Traffic in Women	Cheating	Offences under Local and Special Laws
1977	477	14	-	2	39	-	96	6	-	20	1,047
1978	416	13	1	1	41	-	81	3	-	17	1,300
1979	440	17	-	2	47	2	66	7	-	14	1,518
1980	388	16	-	1	36	-	68	5	-	8	1,629
1981	526	18	-	-	37	-	65	-	-	11	1,812
1982	661	14	-	-	28	-	63	2	-	12	2,110

(Source: Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala )

(b) History and Organization of Police

History of Police:

In Punjab State, a modernized system of Police was introduced by the British after annexation in 1849 and the police administration was streamlined with the appointment of a separate officer for each district, viz. the Superintendent of Police. But in the erstwhile State of Kapurthala, this system was enforced only with the formation of PEPSU in 1948.

Organization of Police:

In the early years of the twentieth century, the Police Department in the erstwhile State of Kapurthala was under the charge of an Inspector General of Police, who was assisted by two Inspectors, six Deputy Inspectors and a Pay Master. The total strength of officers and office staff was 26. The police force consisted of 17 Sergeants and 291 Constables. There was no mounted police. In addition, there were 243 Chowkidars. Each Deputy Inspector had one of the six thanas or police stations under his control. These were at Kapurthala, Phagwara, Sultanpur, Dhilwan, Girana and Bholath. Thirteen chaukis (out-posts) were attached to these thanas. Besides, there were two cattle-pounds one each at Sadr Station, Kapurthala and Girana. There were also cattle-pounds in each tehsil, i.e. Sultanpur, Phagwara, Bholath and Bhunga, each under the control of the Tehsildar.

Of the total police force, 524 men belonged to the Kapurthala State and 47 had been brought in from outside the State. All police personnel received training at Phillaur. At the time of partition, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was the ruling prince and he had a separate police department headed by an Inspector General of Police of the State. In 1948, Kapurthala State was merged with other princely states to form the East Punjab States Union with the state capital at Patiala. Thus, the Kapurthala State became a district in PEPSU and the head of the police in the district was the Superintendent of Police, under the direct control of the Inspector General of Police of PEPSU, with headquarters at Patiala. In 1956, PEPSU was merged with the Punjab State and Kapurthala remained a district as before and came under the control of the Deputy Inspector General of Police Jalandhar Range, for police purposes, and it is continuing as such. The Superintendent of Police works under the general guidance and supervision of the Deputy Commissioner in the maintenance of law and order. In the management and discipline of the police force and prevention and control of crime in the district, he reports to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Range, Jalandhar. He is assisted by 5 Deputy Superintendents of Police, 5 Inspectors, 22 Sub-Inspectors, 38 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 149 Head Constables and 667 Constables.

The strength of Police in the district, as on 31 March 1982, was as follows:

Police Strength in Kapurthala District, as on 31 March 1982

	Superintendents of Police	Deputy Superintendents of Police	Inspectors	Sub-Inspectors	Assistant Sub-Inspectors	Head Constables	Constables
Civil Police	1	5	5	20	38	143	619
Armed Police- (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Armed Reserves	-	-	-	2	-	6	48
Mounted Police	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Prosecution Staff	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	1	5	5	22	38	149	667

The number of police stations and police posts in each tehsil/subdivision is as under :

Tehsil/Sub-division	No. of villages		Police stations	Police Posts
Kapurthala	60	1	Kotwali Kapurthala	-
	87	2	Sadr Kapurthala
	84	3	Bholath
	53	4	Dhilwan
	30	5	Subhanpur
Sultanpur Lodhi	192	1	Sultanpur Lodhi	-
Phagwara	-	1	City Phagwara	-
	113	2	Sadr Phagwara

Civil Police:

This is posted at police stations and posts. A Station House Officer is in charge of each. He is normally assisted by one or more Assistant Sub-Inspectors, a Head Constable, a Moharrir and a number of foot constables. The Station House Officer is responsible for the maintenance of peace and order and he investigates offences.

Prosecution Staff:

After the separation of the Prosecution Agency from the Police Department, the District Attorney looks after the work relating to prosecution of cases in the Law Courts and scrutiny of the challans. The main functions of the Prosecution Department are to look after the legal affairs of the State in the district: to conduct civil and criminal litigation affecting the State cases in the district courts; and to render legal advice to district offices including the police.

The head of the Prosecution Department is the District Attorney who is assisted by 3 Assistant District Attorneys Grade I, 8 Assistant District Attorneys Grade II, and miscellaneous Class III and IV staff in the Kapurthala District.

Vigilance Police:

The main function of the Vigilance Police is to make inquiries into complaints of corruption and other irregularities against Government employees. Only one Vigilance Bureau Unit consisting of one Inspector, one Sub-Inspector, one Assistant Sub-Inspector, one Head Constable and four constables was functioning at the district headquarters on 31 March 1982.

Railway Police:

Since the Railway Police is a part of the State Organization working under the Assistant Inspector General, Government Railway Police, Punjab, with headquarters at Patiala, it is not allotted to any district in particular. The jurisdiction of this police is confined to ‘railway limits’, i.e. all ground and buildings within the railway boundary. This force is organized to meet the special requirements of crime and the maintenance of law and order on the railway system.

The main functions of the Railway Police are : to protect travelers from injury to person or loss to property; to maintain law and order at railway stations and in trains; to bring to the notice of the proper authorities all offences under the Railway Act and breaches of bye-laws, and all cases of fraud, extortion, etc. on the part of railway officials; to keep railway platforms clear of idlers and vagrants and to keep a look-out for suspicious persons, smugglers, and persons traveling with unlicensed arms; to search all empty carriages for property left behind by passengers; to control the hackney carriage plying for hire at railway stations and to enforce the regulations of the railway authorities with regard to these; to regulate the influx of passengers entering railway stations during fairs, festivals, etc. Besides, the railway police patrol all passenger trains and provide escort to important night trains.

There is only one outpost of the Railway Police in the district viz. at Kapurthala, where one Head Constable and two Constables are posted.

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