Lincoln, working as Commandant, Special Armed Reserve, had sent the constable to Noida in Uttar Pradesh 'without competence', the government said.

It is estimated that over 15,000 constables work as orderlies at the homes of senior police officials in the state. In most cases, they end up working as drivers, cooks and gardeners and silently suffer the humiliation.

A clause in the Andhra Pradesh Police Manual allows IPS officers to engage constables and head constables to assist them. But, in practice, it is misused by most senior officers. The state has nearly one lakh strong police force, out of which 800 are top-rank officers, including over 200 IPS officers.

The orderly system was first introduced during British rule in 1861. In the absence of communication facilities at that time, the idea was to ensure that the services of policemen were available for the officer to act quickly in case of any law and order problem.