State Security Commission
Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A State Security Commission (SSC) is a body in each state that sets broad policy for the police and shields them from unwarranted political pressure. Its members include the Home Minister, the Leader of Opposition and independent members. It was the first of the seven directives of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh (22 September 2006). Having the opposition and independent members on it is meant to stop any one ruling party from controlling the police.
Example
Under Prakash Singh (2006), a State Security Commission should set the state's broad policing priorities, while daily operations stay with the police. Many states instead passed their own police Acts that weakened the directives, including this one.
Don't confuse with
- Staff Selection Commission: also abbreviated SSC, it recruits for Group B (non-gazetted) and Group C central posts. It has nothing to do with the police.
- National Security Commission: this is a separate Prakash Singh directive for central police forces, not state police.