A proposal sent by Kolkata police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti in this regard has received the nod of the state home department, even though the department admits the move will not be constitutionally tenable.

Chakrabarti first sent the proposal in July last year and after he received no response, he sent a reminder in November only to follow it up with another one in January this year.

“We have told the Kolkata police that they could go ahead with their plans. But we know that there is no provision for reservation on the basis of gender in the

Constitution. So we have told them that if they are challenged in court, we won’t back them,” state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told The Indian Express.

The Kolkata police, meanwhile, are also throwing their weight behind the proposal.

“We will make some mechanism to make the scheme viable. We will have to find a way to overcome the constitutional hurdles. We want reservation for women in Kolkata because we need more women force in police. If the government approves it, we will consult our lawyers to decide on the modalities,” said Javed Shamim, Joint Commissioner of Police, headquarters, Kolkata police.

Incidentally, the state government had earlier proposed women reservations in the Fire department, but the plan went for a toss as objections were raised on the constitutional validity of the recruitment.