The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Court directive to promote senior IPS officer as DIG

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Sunday, Jun 28, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Court directive to promote senior IPS officer as DIG

K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI: A senior IPS officer in the State, who is due to retire this month, has got relief with the Madras High Court confirming a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order quashing a charge memo against him.

In the light of the Screening Committee’s recommendation that R. Ramarajan is fit for promotion as DIG, and considering the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case and the fact that the officer was due to retire on June 30, a Division Bench, comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and T.S. Sivagnanam, said it was directing the government to forthwith promote the officer as DIG with all service benefits which he was entitled to.

Mr. Ramarajan, who was directly recruited as a DSP in 1983, was conferred the IPS in 1994. While serving as Superintendent of Police, Karur district, he was suspended in March 2002 on the ground that an enquiry was contemplated into grave allegations against him. It was revoked in June 2004 on the Review Committee’s recommendation. He was reinstated in service pending a decision on the report of the inquiring authority recommending departmental action.

A charge memo with seven charges was issued against him in September 2006 imputing certain corrupt activities, misconduct and irregularities in transfer of police personnel when he was SP, Karur.

During inquiry, the government dropped two charges. The inquiry officer, in her report, recorded that while two charges had been proved, one was partly proved and two others were not proved.

No order was passed pursuant to the inquiry report.

Mr. Ramarajan requested the government to drop further action on the charges proved. He moved the CAT seeking to quash the charge memo and to promote him as DIG. The tribunal quashed the charge memo and further directed the opening of the ‘sealed cover’ for promoting him as DIG. It said the officer was entitled for consequential benefits arising out of quashing of charge memo. Aggrieved, the government filed the present writ petitions.

Dismissing the petitions, the Bench observed that initially, a CB CID inquiry into the alleged involvement of Mr. Ramarajan in running illegal gambling dens and casinos in Karur district had been ordered. It had not brought out any adverse findings against him.

In an inquiry and re-inquiry by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption into the alleged accumulation of disproportionate wealth by him, nothing incriminating had been found. There had been delay in initiation of disciplinary proceedings and the proceedings prolonged for a considerable length of time. This was to harass the officer and deprive him of promotion and other benefits, the Bench said.

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