A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the State government and the State Police Chief (SPC) to file an affidavit explaining the action taken on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) regarding the missing of 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges from the Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB).
The Bench comprising Chief Justice M. Manikumar and Justice Shaji P. Chali issued the directive while admitting a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a probe by the CBI or NIA into the missing of rifles and live cartridges from the custody of the State police.
In his petition, P.R. Ramachandra Kaimal of Changanassery said the CAG had found that 25 rifles stated to have been issued by the SAPB were neither entered in the stock register nor in the records maintained by the Armoury Inspector at the camp. The CAG had, therefore, recommended that the government take urgent steps to trace the missing cartridges. The CAG also recommended stock taking of arms and ammunition of the entire police force.
When the petition came up for hearing, senior Government Pleader Suman Chakravarthy submitted that no rifles were found missing during the physical verification done by the DIG, Armed Police Battalion, and Director of the Crime Branch. Besides, an investigation into the missing of the bullets were on. The senior Pleader further submitted that it had become an issue because the CAG team refused to account the 25 rifles transferred temporarily from the SAP to Thiruvanathapuram city in 2011 despite showing them the records.
He pointed out that the CAG report had been tabled before the Assembly and it was for the Public Accounts Committee to act. The court asked the State and the SPC to file the affidavits in one week.
The petitioner said the incident was a serious security breach and involved the security of the nation, especially in the context of the fact that the nation was under serious threat of terrorist, including Maoists and Islamic State (IS).
