CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has questioned the rationale behind promoting police officers who were indicted by the Justice Aruna Jagadessan Commission for dereliction of duty and failing to prevent the police firing on the anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi.
A division bench of justices SS Sundar and N Senthilkumar raised the question when a petition filed by People’s Watch executive director Henri Tiphane questioned how the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) closed its investigation into the police firing.
Henri noted that then IG (South Zone) Sailesh Kumar Yadav was promoted to additional DGP and recently to DGP, even after being indicted by the Aruna Jagadeesan Commission. The bench also questioned how NHRC suo motu closed the probe it had initiated on its own and said the duty of the commission would not end just with the recommendation of compensation for the victims.
Referring to the recommendation of the Commission to take disciplinary action against 17 police officials, the bench directed Tiphane to implead all such police and revenue department officials in the case, following which the court will send them notices.
“They shall also be heard before we pass orders on the matter,” the bench said, and adjourned the matter to January 19 for further hearing.