Tamil Nadu: Ex-police officer gets relief from SHRC’s disciplinary action
SHRC took suo motu proceedings against the then assistant commissioner of police, Chennai, A Elangovan (now retired), on October 1, 2024, based on a video published on social media;
State Human Rights Commission
CHENNAI: The State Human Rights Commission’s direction to initiate disciplinary action against the former assistant commissioner of police before the completion of an enquiry in a pending case may result in prejudice, held the Madras High Court and kept in abeyance the order of disciplinary action against the officer for allegedly issuing an encounter threat to a history-sheeter.
A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice K Rajasekar requested the SHRC to complete the suo motu proceedings initiated against the petitioner and complete it expeditiously, and the interim order directing disciplinary action will be in abeyance until the final order is issued, held the bench.
SHRC took suo motu proceedings against the then assistant commissioner of police, Chennai, A Elangovan (now retired), on October 1, 2024, based on a video published on social media.
The video shows the former assistant commissioner with other police personnel warning a lady, allegedly the wife of a history-sheeter, stating that “he will break the bones, if her husband takes a knife or will encounter him if he is involved in any murder”.
The SHRC found the video to be an open challenge to the Constitution of India, provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and the justice delivery system. Hence, the commission initiated the suo motu proceedings.
Notices were issued to the police officers connected to the case, including the petitioner. The then city police commissioner was relieved from the case after accepting his affidavit.
The commission posed a question to the petitioner about what he had understood from the controversial statement of the police commissioner, "action would be taken in the language understood by rowdies". The petitioner replied that he had not understood anything from the statement.
During the pendency of the enquiry, on October 7, 2024, the SHRC directed the Director General of Police and the city police commissioner to take disciplinary action against the petitioner. Challenging the direction Elangovan moved in the present petition.