The Madras High Court on Monday called for the inquiry report filed by an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) against suspended Special Director General of Police Rajesh Das in a sexual harassment complaint lodged by a woman Superintendent of Police. Justice V. Parthiban asked Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram to submit the report in a sealed cover on December 9.
He was hearing a writ petition filed by Mr. Das, challenging the ICC inquiry on various grounds, including bias. Since the Director General of Police alone had filed a counter affidavit to the writ petition, the judge insisted upon a counter affidavit by the ICC within a fortnight. In his counter, the DGP urged the court to dismiss the case filed by Mr. Das with costs. The counter filed by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, on behalf of the DGP, said the victim officer had lodged the complaint against the writ petitioner on February 22. Then, the ICC was headed by Additional Director General of Police Seema Agarwal.
Since the ADGP was junior in rank to the writ petitioner, the complaint was forwarded to the State government with a request to constitute the ICC with officers of appropriate seniority. The government then asked Additional Chief Secretary Jayashree Raghunandan to head the committee. The ICC wrote to the DGP on March 18 and 26, requesting him to provide CCTV footage of the corridor leading to his office. But the DGP wrote back saying the footage could not be retrieved.
The A-G said the writ petitioner had insisted upon the footage to prove that the complainant met Ms. Agarwal.
