Rebuking executive lethargy and enforcing state accountability

The Supreme Court expressed patent disapproval regarding the lack of adequate interest and responsiveness demonstrated by State Governments, despite extensive opportunities granted on earlier occasions to scrutinize and implement the Police Manual. The persistent failure of the executive apparatus to act proactively in formulating critical procedural safeguards compels the exercise of the Court’s supervisory and extraordinary jurisdiction. The judgment establishes that the States cannot remain passive observers when fundamental constitutional guarantees are routinely imperiled by unchecked administrative practices. State administrations bear an affirmative constitutional duty to implement standardized governance mechanisms, and prolonged governmental delay warrants categorical judicial directives fixing firm temporal deadlines for compliance. (Peoples Union for Civil Liberties & Anr. Vs The State of Maharashtra & Ors. | 2026 INSC 45)