CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the State government to go ahead with filling promotional vacancies based on regular seniority list, without reference to accelerated promotion granted to 752 (Special Task Force) personnel who were earlier involved in the hunt for slain sandalwood smuggler Veerappan.
“The police department cannot suffer endlessly without filling up the promotional posts. Therefore, the authorities are directed to proceed ahead to fill all the vacancies by way of preparing a final seniority list as per the existing rules, without reference to the accelerated promotion. However, this is subject to the result of the pending writ petitions,” Justice T Raja said on December 21 last.
Veerappan was gunned down in 2004 and the then AIADMK regime, headed by Jayalalithaa, announced various benefits to all STF personnel and announced en masse accelerated promotion, cash rewards and houses free of cost. It raised a controversy as the other police personnel felt their seniority had been adversely affected.
During the hearing of the present plea, senior counsel P Wilson, representing the regular police personnel, submitted that when a division bench had already rejected the plea of STF cadres in the rank of DSP and above, pleas seeking similar relief by cadres below the rank of DSP should also be rejected. He also pointed out that over 180 promotional posts are pending vacant for years due to an interim order restraining the government from proceeding further.
Accepting the arguments of counsel, Justice Raja permitted the government to fill up the posts. Such appointments, however, would be subject to the result of pending pleas, judge said.