KOCHI: The High Court on Monday quashed the Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Special Court order for a probe against Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala in a case related to the appointment of N Shankar Reddy as the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau director by the previous UDF Government.
Justice P Ubaid observed it was not known how the promotion given by the Government to four police officers involved elements of corruption or what exactly was the misconduct.
The promotion under service laws was the government’s prerogative and it was well settled seniority alone shall not be the criterion for promotion in any sector. If the process involved any illegality or violation of the provisions of the law governing service, the aggrieved person could challenge it before the appropriate forum, he said.
“Now, we have tribunals and also constitutional courts like the High Court and Supreme Court to deal with such matters. Such an exercise cannot be undertaken by the special courts and the legality or propriety of the promotions granted by the government to public servants cannot be enquired or investigated by the police machinery,” the court observed. It also said the entire case was a typical instance of abuse of legal and judicial processes.