Setback to Kerala govt, SC orders reinstatement of ex-DGP TP Senkumar
Thiruvananthapuram/ New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Kerala government to reinstate former Director General of Police (DGP) TP Senkumar, saying he was transferred from the post "arbitrarily".
The apex court set aside the order of the Kerala High Court that had upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) decision that had not found fault with the state government's decision to transfer Senkumar from the post of the state police chief.
"We direct reinstatement of DGP TP Senkumar," a bench comprising Justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.
Senkumar had challenged in the apex court his transfer by the LDF government. He had alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan government removed him from the post of DGP as political vengeance for the probe into the murders of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) founder TP Chandrasekharan and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) youth activist Abdul Shukoor, in which Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders were involved.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and the HC had earlier rejected Senkumar’s petitions challenging LDF government’s decision.
According to Senkumar, the probe had caused the CPM leadership in Kerala to turn against him and he was removed in violation of the norms that the state police chief should have a fixed tenure of two years.
In a special leave petition filed in the Supreme Court challenging a High Court order, Senkumar also cited the frequent transfers of IPS officers in Kerala after the LDF came to power.
Senkumar said the transfers were made without following the norms mooted by the Surpeme Court and prescribed in the Police Act. About 40 such illegal transfers were made by the LDF government in nine months, he claimed.
Senkumar also cited that with the CAT and HC rejecting his pleas, none of the IPS officers were approaching the court.
The Kerala government had on April 11 defended in the apex court its decision to transfer Senkumar, saying he had protected "erring" police officials in the 2016 Puttingal temple fire tragedy in which 110 people were killed.
The state government had told the court that Senkumar's transfer was not a punishment for the "lapse" which had led to the April 10, 2016 incident but it was for how he had handled the fallout of the tragedy.
On April 10 last year, when Senkumar was Kerala's DGP, there was an explosion leading to a blaze after a fireworks display went awry at Puttingal Temple in Kollam district. 110 people had died while over 300 were injured in the incident.
