Mumbai: The Home department has directed a team to be constituted to investigate the sexual harassment allegations made by a woman constable against the Superintendent of Police, Thane Central Jail.
On September 2, 2016, Hiralal Jadhav (54) was suspended as per the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, after the 33-year-old constable accused him of sexual harassment. Mr. Jadhav applied for an anticipatory bail and was granted interim relief.
The woman then complained to the DIG Prisons about Mr. Jadhav’s behaviour, and an inquiry committee was set up to look into the allegations. He, however, challenged his suspension before the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT).
In September 2017, the MAT called his suspension premature, and directed the State to reinstate him, but said the inquiry against him can continue while he is on duty.
The Law and Judiciary department directed the Prisons department to appeal against the MAT order before the Bombay High Court.
A Division Bench of acting Chief Justice V.K. Tahilramani and Justice M.S. Karnik set aside the MAT order reinstating him and also said the inquiry against him should continue.
On May 22, the Home department issued a government resolution as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and directed the team to submit its report on the allegations in two months.
The team, headed by Aswathi Dorje, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) (local arms), will have Arvind Sawant, ACP (juvenile aid protection unit), Anupama Pawar, advocate, Farida Lambay, co-founder of NGO Pratham, and Aruna Mugutkar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Yerwada Central Jail, Pune, as members.
There are many allegations of sexual harassment and corruption against Mr. Jadhav. In 2012, some trainees at a jail staff college in Pune alleged that he passed inappropriate comments about their clothes and used obscene and insulting language.
Mr. Jadhav also had an FIR against him filed by the Prisons department for siphoning off ₹9,700 from government funds through his drivers for his personal vehicle.
In February 2017, gangster Abu Salem had alleged that Mr. Jadhav is conspiring to kill him by injecting poison into his body.
