Police Act, 1861
Section 2: Constitution of the force
The entire police-establishment under a [State Government] shall for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be one 3police force, and shall be formally enrolled; and shall consist of such number of officers and men, and shall be constituted in such manner, *** as shall from time to time be ordered by the [State Government] ***.
[Subject to the provisions of this Act the pay and all other conditions of service of members of the subordinate ranks of any police force shall be such as may-be determined by the [State] Government.]
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.