Remove orderlies from houses of retd cops and ex-judges, HC tells TN

CHENNAI: Coming down heavily on the practice of deploying trained personnel to do menial jobs at the residences of serving and retired police officers and judges, the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Home Department to withdraw them from orderly duty.

Justice SM Subramaniam issued the order on hearing a plea filed by U Manickavel, a retired officer who challenged the department’s order directing him to vacate the house in police quarters. The judge criticised the department observing that a trained police constable drawing a monthly salary of Rs 45,000 should not be deployed for doing domestic works in the houses of serving/retired police officials and judges.

“Police constables were not trained to do the menial jobs in the police officers’ residences. All such uniformed personnel… should be immediately withdrawn,” Justice Subramaniam added.

He also directed the government to initiate disciplinary proceedings by filing criminal cases against officers who use constables for domestic purposes at their residences. “If there is any necessity, domestic assistants shall be appointed to the residences of IPS officers,” the judge suggested.

The judge also expressed his dissatisfaction about police officers using the black sun control films in their official cars against the apex court’s order. “What authority do they have to violate the order of the Supreme Court, that too in a government vehicle,” the judge questioned.

The court also pointed out that the policemen-politicians nexus was unconstitutional and people lose confidence in the police force due to such acts. “If a police officer is meeting a politician with a bouquet to get a preferred position in the department, how will he discharge his duties without fear or favour when he himself is a beneficiary of favouritism? This will lead to the law and order problem and people will suffer from these acts,” the judge added. State Additional Public Prosecutor P Kumaresan informed the court that the State would take necessary steps on the orderly system. Recording the submissions, the judge adjourned the matter by six weeks as requested by the APP to submit the report about the progress of the State’s initiatives.

TN police to end age-old practice

Police department has taken a serious view on the HC judgment on orderlies and assessing the situation in the department will recall constables working as orderlies at houses of retired and serving officers and judges, a senior police officer said.

“Not all those working at the houses of police officers are orderlies. There will be stand-by drivers, PSOs, computer operators etc. But certain officers and their family members are using these cops as servants. They will be recalled,” a senior police officer at the police headquarters said.