IPS officer Pramod Kumar petitions HC to make him next DGP

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Tamil Nadu Government to respond to a petition filed by IPS officer S Pramod Kumar to consider him for the post of Director General of Police after the retirement of incumbent DGP C Sylendra Babu on June 30.

Hearing a plea filed by S Pramod Kumar, Inspector General of Road Safety and Traffic department, a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice RN Manjula ordered the state Government to respond to a petition within two weeks and adjourned the hearing.

Pramod Kumar contended that he being one of the senior police officers in the state, would be eligible to be considered for the top post if the extortion case pending for over a decade against him, is quashed by the court. “The extortion case is liable to be quashed on the simple ground that the CBI had failed to obtain the Union Government’s prior approval under Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. Charges were not framed in the extortion case which is pending for a long time,” he said in the petition.

The IPS officer said that he was not given regular promotions and pleaded with the court to quash the order issued by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and issue directions to the state government to consider the petitioner for the post of DGP, once the incumbent’s term is over.

The Tiruppur Central Crime Branch police had registered a case in 2009 against Paazee Forex Trading India Private Limited for having cheated depositors to the tune of Rs 870 crores. In 2012, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested S Pramod Kumar, the then Inspector General of Police (West Zone) in connection with the case.