KOCHI: Putting the government in a bind, the Kerala High Court on Monday asked why the state needs 12 DGPs. The court orally queried whether the rules enacted by the Centre permitted such appointments.
The court made the remarks while hearing the petition filed by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala seeking to quash the order of the Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court to conduct a probe against him in a case relating to the appointment of N Shankar Reddy as Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, by the previous UDF Government.
Meanwhile, the state government submitted that the DGPs were appointed after taking into account their experience and qualification. The court asked why the government is not appointing a Director for Vigilance. State police chief Loknath Behera is holding the charge of Vigilance Director.
Chennithala’s counsel submitted that the government appointed four DGPs at a time when the court is considering a case challenging the posting of four DGPs by the previous government.