Administrative tribunal sets aside IPS trainee’s suspension

He should be allowed to attend basic training, says CAT interim order

The Central Administrative Tribunal-Hyderabad on Tuesday set aside the Centre’s order suspending the offer of employment of K.V. Maheswara Reddy, an IPS trainee cadet.

In an interim direction to the Centre and the SVP National Police Academy, the CAT said Mr. Reddy should be allowed to attend the basic training at the academy. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued an order on December 14, suspending his offer of employment, stating that an investigation was pending against him following registration of a case. Following a complaint of domestic violence by his wife Bhavana, a First Information Report (FIR) was issued against Mr. Reddy, who got selected for IPS and was about to undergo basic training at the NPA. Since an investigation was pending, the MHA issued a direction suspending his offer of employment.

Challenging this direction, Mr. Reddy approached the CAT. After hearing arguments of his counsel K. Sudhakar Reddy and government counsel, CAT Chairman L. Narsimha Reddy and member B.V. Sudhakar passed the direction setting aside the MHA order.

Petitioner’s counsel contended that Mr. Reddy married Bhavana before getting selected for IPS. She lodged the complaint of domestic violence apprehending that her husband might divorce her, he told the tribunal. The petitioner did not inform his parents of his marriage worried about their consent to the marriage but had no malafide intention to do injustice to his wife, counsel argued.

Counsel presented papers relating to the online complaint lodged by Ms. Bhavana to the LBS National Academy of Administration (Mussoorie) director. He furnished the papers showing the satisfaction expressed by the director over Mr. Reddy’s explanation over the complaint. However, government counsel averred that the Centre had the power to suspend the offer of employment when an FIR was issued against a person. “There are differences and trouble between the wife and the husband. Though FIR was issued, how can suspension orders be issued when the matter is at the stage of allegations,” the CAT chairman and member sought to know.

The CAT observed that a number of well educated persons in urban areas and cities were approaching family courts seeking divorce and FIRs were issued against many of them. It was not correct to suspend all of them from their jobs, the CAT remarked. It was not uncommon to see a wife and a husband quarrelling on family matters and counselling would help them sort out their differences, the CAT said.