The Kerala Government’s decision to remove the DGP of the State in May last year, soon after the CPM Government came to power, did not find favour with the Supreme Court on Monday.
TP Senkumar challenged the decision of his removal to be violation of Section 97(2)(e) of Kerala Police Act which assures a two-year tenure to DGP. He was removed when his one-year tenure still survived. He further alleged that the present political dispensation wanted to remove him as he had investigated certain political crimes involving CPM leaders.
But the State government in its decision to shift out Senkumar said that two major incidents occurred during his tenure - the Puttingal Temple tragedy and Perumbavoor murder case involving a girl, which shook public confidence in police and hence he ought to be responsible for the same.
Seeking an explanation from the State government over its action to remove the former Director General of Police (DGP) on May 27, 2016, a bench of Justices Madan B lokur and Deepak Gupta felt that the issue required consideration and posted the matter for hearing on March 27.
Reacting to the Government’s reason for removing DGP, the bench said, “We have been reading in papers about crime incidents that take place almost daily. If on basis of such incidents you begin to remove DGP of a State, there would be no policemen left in this country to serve at this post.”