More than 230 police inspectors, who had joined service in Tamil Nadu, as sub-inspectors in 1997, are upset that they have been promoted only once over the past 26 years. Their promotions, as Deputy Superintendents of Police, have been delayed by over five years.
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The Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) had, in 1994, called for applications for direct recruitment of as many as 1,100 sub-inspectors of police. However, at that time, some of the serving police constables who were graduates with experience of five years, approached the Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal (now defunct) and obtained an order, stating that 20% of the sub-inspectors’ posts must be allocated to them, based on seniority and qualifications.
Eventually, in 1996 the TNUSRB increased the number of posts, and 1,337 candidates were selected after written and physical fitness examinations. However, of these, only 500 recruits were sent for training at the Police Training College in Ashok Nagar, Chennai, while the remaining 837 were not immediately sent for training due to inadequate facilities.
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In 1997, these 837 recruits had to undergo fresh tests after a change in the regime at Fort St George, and were inducted to service after a one year training programme. “All those trained and inducted in 1996 have now been promoted as Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and many of them have been even promoted as Additional Superintendents of Police. The persons who were recruited under the 20% quota, as per the Tribunal’s order, also have been promoted as DSPs. However, over 230 direct recruits of the 1997 batch are serving as Inspectors and have not been promoted thereafter,” said one of the affected Inspectors.
“In total, 239 such officers have been serving in the Tamil Nadu Police force for the past 26 years. The last time we got promotions was in 2007-2008 as Inspectors and we have been working in the same posts for about 14 years in various places in Tamil Nadu. We have been waiting for the DSP promotion order for the completion of our pre promotional training, but have not received these orders yet. No reason has been given for the withholding of our promotions,” complained another officer.
According to one of the Inspectors, the norm in government service is for a promotion every 10 years. “However, we have been affected due to the inordinate delay in due promotions. Around 15 of our batchmates have died without being promoted as DSPs. Two of them opted for voluntary retirement from service out of frustration and one retired as an Inspector on superannuation,” he claimed.
The affected Inspectors have urged the government to come forward to redress their grievances.