Court sets aside Tamil Nadu top cop’s appointment

CHENNAI - Madras High Court Friday held that the appointment of Tamil Nadus Director General of Police (DGP) Letika Saran is not as per the Supreme Court guidelines.

It, however, allowed her to continue in the position till a new person is appointed in December this year.

A division bench of the court comprising Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifullah and Justice M.M. Sundaresh passed the order on a petition filed by DGP and Director Fire and Rescue Services R. Nataraj challenging the elevation of Saran superseding him.

The bench directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide a fresh panel of eligible officials to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Nataraj declined to comment on the judgment when contacted by IANS.

The newly-appointed Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) K. Vijay Kumar too had contested the Tamil Nadu governments selection process of Saran in the Madras High Court.

Before being selected to head CRPF, Kumar was heading the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.

He told the high court that he never expressed his unwillingness to be selected as the state DGP and also charged the state home secretary of misleading the court.

A 1976 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Saran became the first woman DGP of the state in January this year superseding Nataraj, N. Balachandran, V. Balachandran and Kumar. A fact in her favour was that she retires in 2012, much later than the others.

She was also the first woman to serve as Chennais police commissioner in 2006 and in 2009 she became the first woman to be elevated to the rank of DGP in the state police.

The state police portfolio is held by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.