On Monday, the Supreme Court reappointed TP Senkumar as the Deputy General of Police of Kerala. This is a humiliating move for the Pinarayi government, as they evicted Senkumar for booking CPM leaders in a murder case. Senkumar was replaced by NIA official Loknath Behra after the CPM came to power in 2016.
The SC said that Senkumar was set aside on orders of the Kerala High Court ‘arbitrarily’ as they found no fault with the government’s decision. M.B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta, Justices of SC said, “We direct reinstatement of DGP TP Senkumar.” The government had challenged the SC and said that Senkumar had protected errant police officials during his tenure in 2016.
The government said Senkumar protected officers involved in an incident wherein 110 people were killed in the Puttingal temple fire. In the same incident, more than 300 were injured as a fireworks display went wrong. The government also said that the officer also mishandled the Jisha murder case. Jisha was murdered at her home in Kochi in 2016.
Senkumar challenged this decision and said it was made because of his impartial probe into 2012 murder of the Marxist renegade T.P. Chandrasekharan in which police arrested many CPM leaders. Many of these leaders are in jail for the murder case.
The SC said that Senkumar will be reinstated with immediate effect and be in office until June 30. Senkumar reacting to the order said, “This will help many officers who face a similar problem.”
