On 15 July 2011, the Times of India reported that, due to the "serial blasts in Mumbai," the Delhi police were taking new safety measures, including a plan to "identify every landlord and tenant in the city. Each police station will maintain a master roll and update it regularly." In 2011, the Times of India reported that, according to the Special Commissioner of Crime, the tenant verification plan was being implemented in Vasant Vihar [Southwest Delhi] and Vasant Kunj [Southwest Delhi] (15 July 2011). The Times of India quotes a District Commissioner of Police in the South of Delhi as saying:
The Times of India indicates that about 60,000 people have been verified in Gurgaon, and that half of these people were verified online (ibid.). However, according to the CPA Director, because the "day-to-day functioning" of the police in India is paper-based, tenant information is "kept in a file" (16 Apr. 2013). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
The Delhi police state that information related to "domestic help," including drivers and watchmen, must also be submitted to police for verification (Delhi n.d.). The Delhi police indicate that house owners should request information from the "servant," including: name, address, telephone numbers of relatives, previous workplace, references, a photograph and finger prints (ibid.). The Delhi police add that there are public advertisements advising people to verify their "servants" and "Resident Welfare Associations and Trader Associations are briefed in meetings regularly" (ibid.). The Delhi police also "regularly" conduct "servant verification drives" (ibid.).
On 13 August 2011, the Times of India reported that a Delhi tenant verification drive resulted in police finding a suspect. According to the Times of India, a police officer was conducting an "initial check" of tenant registration and found the suspect's information in several documents under different names (13 Aug. 2011).
Media sources indicate that tenant verification is mandatory in Mumbai (The Pioneer 16 Sept. 2009; The Hindu 26 Mar. 2012). Media sources report that, according to police, tenant verification has been successful in Mumbai (ibid. 14 Mar. 2012; The Times of India 13 Mar. 2009). The Hindu reports that, according to the Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner of Law and Order, there is almost 95 percent compliance with tenant verification (14 Mar. 2012). The Hindu adds that, according to citizens of Mumbai, the tenant verification process is a "community-driven initiative where even housing societies require you to submit a verification form" before renting out a house (14 Mar. 2012). The Hindu also says that, in some cities, such as Pune, approval from a lawyer is also a requirement of tenant verification (14 Mar. 2012). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
Kolkata police state that landlords should collect detailed information from tenants and give the local police station a "tenant profile form," which is available at local police stations and on the Kolkata police website (Kolkata n.d.b). The Kolkata police website also contains a downloadable "Domestic Help Profile Form" (ibid. n.d.c). Further information on tenant verification in Kolkata could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
On 7 September 2012, the Times of India reported that, although the Police Commissioner indicated that the tenant verification programme previously was not implemented successfully, the police are now prioritizing tenant verification and will be launching a "special drive." On 14 March 2012, the Hindu indicated that the Bangalore police enforced a mandatory tenant verification rule in November 2011 under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure orders, but a landlord said that there is "'not much enforcement'." The Hindu also indicated that landlords were also ordered to submit tenant verification in 2006 and 2008, but the push for tenant verification was unsuccessful (14 Mar. 2012). On 10 February 2013, the Bangalore-based Deccan Herald reported that Bangalore police have attempted to make tenant verification mandatory. However, the Deccan Herald indicates that most owners have not conducted tenant verification (10 Feb. 2013).
The VFF legal representative said that tenant registration is mandatory in all states, and especially in metropolitan cities (VFF 24 Apr. 2013). Sources report on tenant registration in several states, including: Goa (The Times of India 16 July 2009), Hyderabad (Hyderabad n.d.), Punjab (Punjab n.d.b), Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nadu n.d.), Uttar Pradesh (Uttar Pradesh n.d.), Uttarakhand (The Pioneer 25 Sept. 2008), and West Bengal (West Bengal n.d.). On 3 April 2012, the Kashmir Monitor reported that tenant verification is mandatory in Goa. The Kashmir Monitor adds that Kashmiri migrants in Goa must also submit a "'Stranger Roll'" at the nearest police station (3 Apr. 2012). The Kashmir Monitor also says that, for migrants, police record information, obtain photographs, and send the details to police in the migrant's state of origin for verification (3 Apr. 2012). The Times of India reports that tenant verification drives in the city of Colonelganj [Uttar Pradesh] resulted in finding criminals in rental accommodations, and stated that the Colonelganj police are considering making tenant verification drives mandatory (11 July 2011).
The Andhra Pradesh police indicate that landlords in Hyderabad City should complete several steps for tenant verification, including opening a "tenant register" to submit tenant information and photographs, obtaining pay-slips from the tenant's workplace to ensure that they work there, providing the local police station with the tenant's information, monitoring the tenant's activities, making surprise visits to the tenant, and conducting a thorough verification of tenants that come from areas known for "terror" and criminal activity (Andhra Pradesh n.d.).
The VFF legal representative said that there are "no written procedures" pertaining to how police verify information, but stated that she "presumes" that information is cross-referenced with lists of wanted persons (24 Apr. 2013). She added that in some cases, such as if someone is on a "wanted" list, the police may visit the tenant's former home to do a background check, although this is "not a regular practice" (VFF 24 Apr. 2013). The CPA Director indicated that records are "checked and cross-checked," "[o]nly in cases of serious incidents of crime, more particularly in cases of terrorism, drug peddling and any such similar crime" (15 Apr. 2012). Corroborating or further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
According to the VFF legal representative, when a citizen moves, in order to obtain a passport, voter's card or ration card, the police must verify the person's new address (24 Apr. 2013). She said that, in some cases, this may include a police visit to the person's home (24 Apr. 2013).
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Associate Director of the India Studies Program who is also an Associate Professor at the Department of Criminal Justice at Indiana University that has researched the Indian police indicated that the "tenant registration system varies - largely it is non-existent in most cities and states" (25 April 2013). The VFF legal representative stated that "a lot" of landlords do not register their tenants, and added that compliance to tenant registration varies from state to state (24 Apr. 2013). She also said that the legal requirement to register tenants "may be stringently applied" in some states, such as Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Punjab and Tamil Nadu (24 Apr. 2013). The VFF legal representative also said that landlords "may" be held criminally liable for not registering their tenants, but also said that some landlords bribe police to avoid criminal charges (24 Apr. 2013). According to the CPA Director, tenant registration in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata "is a legal requirement, but voluntary. There are no penal consequences if someone does not register his/her tenants" (15 Apr. 2013). However, on 30 December 2008, the Hindustan Times reported that a landlord in Delhi was arrested for "failing to submit tenant verification forms despite repeated warnings," and the case was registered under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. Also in 2008, the Hindu reported that Delhi police "initiated legal action" against a landlord who failed to submit a tenant verification of a tenant who was later charged with drug possession (21 May 2008). On 28 July 2008, the Hindustan Times reported that five landlords in south Delhi were arrested for not verifying their tenants, and although they were released on bail the same day, the cases were going to go to a city magistrate. Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
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