CAT stays charge memo against TN IPS officer

The Madras Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today stayed further proceedings pursuant to a charge memo issued by the Tamil Nadu government to IPS officer A G Ponn Manickavel, the DIG of CID's Idol wing, till further orders.
The interim order was passed by the CAT bench comprising judicial member K Elango and administrative member P Prabakaran on an application by Manickavel, seeking stay of the October 1 charge memo issued by the Home Secretary based on some allegations made against him more than 10 years ago.
"Further, the respondents are restrained from taking into consideration the pendency of the charge memorandum issued by them while considering the applicant for promotion to the next higher rank," the bench said.

In his application, the IPS officer contended that as his promotion to the next rank was positively due in a period of three to four months, the timing of initiation of proceedings was truly suspect and vitiated by malice in law.
He alleged that the decision to issue the charge memo was based on a petition by a "criminalised compulsorily retired disgruntled" police constable, now in jail, and based on the report of a "gravely biased and dangerously malicious S R Jangid, the then DIG."
Manickavel submitted that initially a charge memo was first issued to him in June, 2010 which he had challenged before the tribunal following which it was stayed. The Government in its affidavit in 2011 stated that the memo was issued based on the report of Jangid and on the petition of compulsorily retired constable A Manivannan.

Manickavel, however, withdrew the petition challenging the memo after he was given to understand that the government had decided not to proceed further with the proposed action.
However, contrary to his belief, the government had initiated disciplinary proceedings vide the present charge memo, he said.