Chennai: The Madras High Court has directed the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) not to precipitate the inquiry against S Murugan, joint director of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), in connection with a sexual harassment complaint made by a woman Superintendent of Police, till further orders.
A division bench of Justices KK Sasidharan and PD Audikesavalu, before which an appeal from Murugan opposing a single judge order permitting a CB-CID probe into the sexual harassment complaint came up for hearing on Tuesday, has passed the oral instruction.
On February 14, a single judge of the court vacated the stay against a CB-CID inquiry against Murugan and directed the newly constituted ICC headed by Srilakshmi Prasad, Additional Director General of Police to proceed further with the inquiry.
The single judge also directed the Chief Secretary to initiate all required further action against Murugan under the relevant service rules, which were necessary under the circumstances of the case.
The direction was given with reference to the complaint made by the woman SP dated August 4, 2018.
Appearing on behalf of Murugan, Senior Counsel ARL Sundaresan, submitted that the certified copies of the order passed by the single judge were not yet made available. Based on the information about the order from various other sources, Srilakshmi Prasad, the chairperson of the ICC came to the office of the appellant and insisted on providing his cooperation for an inquiry.
The chairperson of ICC cannot per se hold such inquiries. It is for the committee as a whole to conduct an appropriate inquiry at the designated meeting place and not in the office of the appellant, he said.
