CHENNAI: Nearly 20 months after he was suspended from service, Indian Police Service officer R V Varun Kumar, facing a dowry harassment case, was posted as an assistant superintendent of police in the state police’s commando force. An order from Home Secretary Apurva Varma on Wednesday, among three other Indian Police Service transfers, posted Varun Kumar in the commando force at Marutham.
A topper in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam in 2010, Varun Kumar soon got into controversy when Priyadarshini, an IAS aspirant, lodged a dowry harassment complaint against Varun Kumar. She had alleged that Varun Kumar was having a relationship with her and soon after his selection as an IPS officer started demanding huge dowry from her family to marry her.
After a long legal battle, Varun Kumar finally surrendered in a court in May 2014 and he was remanded in judicial custody in Puzhal prison for a few days. He was also suspended from service from April 2014. Last November, the Central Administrative Tribunal quashed the extension of Varun Kumar’s suspension. He was not given any posting and was in compulsory wait.
Reacting to the development, Priyadarshini said, “I am surprised to hear this. It is disappointing that an IPS officer who is facing criminal charges has received his posting so soon. But I believe in the judicial system and have filed a writ petition in Madras High Court. The case is coming for hearing on Monday. I will fight for justice despite Varun’s threats.”