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If the govt is bent upon making illegal appointments, no one can help Kerala: SC

  • The court wondered how the Puttingal Temple tragedy and the Jisha murder case resurrected on 26th May, 2016 as soon as the present government in Kerala assumed office
  • If the govt is bent upon making illegal appointments, no one can help Kerala
If govt bent upon illegal appointments no one can help Kerala

The Supreme Court verdict on Monday scrapping the removal of DGP TP Senkumar as state police chief had several serious remarks against the government. If the govt is bent upon making illegal appointments, no one can help Kerala, the judgment observed.

Legal experts point out that it was an unprecedented verdict. Arguably, this is the first time a state police chief, shifted by a state govt. is being reinstated through a court order.

"...If the State Government of Kerala is bent upon making irregular and illegal appointments to sensitive posts, then no one can help God's own country," the judgement read. The court not only nullified the removal of TP Senkumar but clearly directed that he should be reinstated, leaving the state government with fewer options before it.
 

Related: Huge setback for Left govt. in Kerala: SC scraps removal of state police chief
 

 “We are a little disturbed by the resurrection of the Puttingal Temple tragedy and the Jisha murder case on 26th May, 2016 as soon as the present government in Kerala assumed office,” the judgment ready. The state government had cited the handling of both these cases against Senkumar. The court wondered why these issues came to the notice of the government all of a sudden in May 2016.

 

Suddenly, these issues resurfaced as soon as the present government assumed office. This might perhaps be a coincidence but it might also be politically motivated

 

If govt bent upon illegal appointments no one can help Kerala TP Senkumar

“The so-called public dissatisfaction with regard to the role of the police in the Puttingal Temple tragedy lay dormant for more than one month and similarly, the role of the police in the investigations in the Jisha murder case also remained dormant for almost a month. Suddenly, these issues resurfaced as soon as the present government assumed office. This might perhaps be a coincidence but it might also be politically motivated,” the judgment said.

 

“On an overall consideration of the material on record and considering the case in its proper perspective, that is the events post the Puttingal Temple tragedy and the Jisha murder and not the two tragedies themselves, we have no hesitation in concluding that the appellant has been unfairly and arbitrarily dealt with,” the SC bench comprising Justice Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta noted.

 

Senkumar had argued that that Pinarayi Vijayan government was taking political revenge on him for conducting independent and impartial investigation into the political killings including the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrashekharan in which CPM leaders and workers were convicted.

 

The state govt. cited Puttingal Temple fireworks tragedy and the probe into the Jisha murder case against Senkumar and stated that his initiative in these cases was not 'chief-like.'  TP Senkumar was removed as the State Police Chief two days after the LDF govt. came to power in May last year.
 

Responding to the judgment, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state would abide by the apex court order and would take necessary action after it was officially delivered.

 

 

 

 

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