HC rejects T P Senkumar’s plea against CAT order on his removal
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Kochi: The High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea filed by senior IPS officer T P Senkumar challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) rule that upheld the order of the State government removing him from the post of state police chief.
The CAT had, in July last year, declined to interfere with the prayer of Senkumar to set aside the order of the State government.
Citing Supreme Court directives in similar cases, the CAT bench headed by Justice N K Balakrishnan had said the government was well within its authority to appoint another person in a cadre.
Senkumar, who had been made Chairman and Managing Director of Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation on state deputation after removing him from the post of state police chief, had submitted that as a member of the 1983 Kerala cadre IPS batch, he was the senior most IPS officer in the state.
He had also contended that new DGP Loknath Behera belongs to the 1985 batch and is hence junior to him.
In a top-level reshuffle on May 31 after taking over the reins of the state following the assembly elections, the CPI-M-led LDF government had shifted Senkumar and appointed Behera in his place.
Challenging it, Senkumar also contended that he had been removed from the post in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines and also of Section 97 (1) of Kerala Police Act.
However, justifying Senkumar’s removal, the State government had submitted that the stand adopted by him in cases related to Puttingal temple fireworks tragedy and murder of a Dalit woman in Perumbavoor lowered the status of police.
