A day after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) nullified the appointment of Shankar M. Bidari as the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Bidari skipped all public appearances on Saturday.
He was scheduled to be the guest of honour at a national level conference of senior IPS officers and also at the golden jubilee function of the UNI agency.
Quashing the appointment of Mr. Bidari as DGP-IGP, the CAT in its order on Friday had issued directions for immediate appointment of senior IPS officer Abdul Rahman Infant to the post on an ad hoc basis.
In a candid talk with The Hindu , Mr. Bidari admitted that he was preoccupied with the developments that have cast a shadow over his job as the head of the police force.
While he said that he would explore all the legal options before him, Mr. Bidari said that he is yet to receive a copy of the CAT order. He struck a combative note when asked about the reported observation of the administration tribunal that there were allegations of human rights violations against him when he headed the Special Task Force (STF).
“The findings of the commission that inquired into allegations of human rights abuses are a public document. Anybody who reads English can find out that I was not indicted,” he said.
Asked if he has been in talks with the political establishment of the State over the crisis, he said, “If I am called, I will go. Why should I go otherwise? I am not like that.”
However, Mr. Bidari is believed to have called on Advocate-General S. Vijay Shankar on Saturday.
Infant reacts
Mr. Infant, who had described the CAT order as victory for the IPS cadre, has moved the High Court by filing a caveat in anticipation of Mr. Bidari challenging the CAT order.
The CAT, in its order, had directed the appointment of Mr. Infant on an ad-hoc basis with immediate effect, till the UPSC considers a list for regular appointment as his was the only name that remained in the empanelled list.
