Walkie talkie purchase: Madras HC dismisses plea to take action against DGP

CHENNAI: The Madras high court has dismissed a public interest litigation, which sought a direction to the state government to take action against DGP T.K.Rajendran under the Prevention of Corruption Act for the alleged irregularities in the procurement of walkie talkie for the police force in the city.

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose dismissed the PIL filed by R.Senthil Murugan, claiming to be a social worker.

The bench said, “We are unable to appreciate how a social worker who claims to be a PG with no kind of technical education can possibly acknowledge of which kind of walkie talkie is easier to operate, which is a more suitable one, whether price of '47,650 is fair price or not fixed up. Moreover, there is no reference to any other comparative price”.

It was however, not understood what public interest people can have in insisting on to the kind of walkie talkie to be used by the members of police force.

There can be no doubt that the citizens have a right to prevent wastage of public money and to ensure that the money of the tax payers was properly spent. However, on the basis of totally vague allegations based on hearsay, when as per the own pleadings of the petitioner, he has not technical expertise, such a petition cannot be entertained, the bench added.