Removal of Senkumar as DGP related to qualification: CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that the Left government removed T P Senkumar IPS from the post of DGP as he lacked required qualification to hold the post.

“Senkumar’s present behavior shows the LDF government was right on his shifting. The action was not over his inaction in the infamous Jisha murder case,” Vijayan told the Assembly.

The CM’s fresh clarification is a clear shift from the earlier stand of the government that had claimed that the transfer of Senkumar was following his inaction in the Jisha murder case.

Earlier, the Supreme Court Monday sought the response of Kerala government within two weeks on a plea of Senkumar alleging that his transfer was a clear case of "political vendetta".

"Issue notice. File reply within two weeks," a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said while listing the matter for final arguments on March 27.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, who appeared for the former DGP told the court that his client has an unblemished career and the state government had not consulted the state security council before transferring him from the top post to be the head of the states police housing corporation.

"DGP has an outstanding and unblemished career. Also the state government did not consult the State Security council before transferring a top cop of the state," Dave said.

The senior counsel also told the court that other than Senkumar, 90 other police officers were also transferred or shifted from their posts after the present government took charge.

"The new government took charge on May 25, 2016 and on May 27, he was removed from his post," Dave told the court.

Senior lawyer P P Rao, who appeared for state, argued that consulting the state Security Council was not necessary in Senkumar’s case. "Consulting the Security Council was not necessary as he was transferred to another post and not removed or sacked from service," he said.

Rao also said that the file recommending transfer of the DGP was already in motion even before the present government took charge.

The top cop had filed the appeal against the Kerala High Court’s verdict that had upheld the Central Administrative Tribunals (CAT) order.

The CAT had not found any fault with the decision of the LDF government’s 2016 decision to transfer Senkumar from the post of Director General of Police to the post of chairman and managing director of Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation.