Daughter of former ADGP moves HC seeking retirement benefits

Madras High Court todayrestrained Tamil Nadu Home Secretary and the state police chief from disbursing the retirement benefits of a retired top police official entirely to his second wife and her daughter.
Vacation bench judge Justice N Kirubakaran passed the order on a petition filed by Priyadarshini, daughter of the first wife of S Rajendran, who retired as the state additional director general of police in January 2016. He had passed away in September last.
The judge issued notice to the authorities and posted the matter after four weeks.
The petitioner submitted her mother and father were legally separated in 1991 within six years of their wedding. Rajendran later married another woman, who gave birth to a girl child.

She submitted that her father died on September 25, 2016 before he could receive his retirement benefits.
As per law of succession, as a legitimate daughter and as class-I legal heir, she was entitled to a share in the estates and retirement benefits of her father, she said.

However, the concerned tahsildar had issued the legal heir certificate to her father's second wife and her daughter, who had applied for the same 'suppressing' her status as a legal heir, she said.
The petitioner further said she has made a representation to the Revenue Divisional Officer, Tambaram, to cancel the certificate issued to the duo and an enquiry into the matter has been fixed for May 9 next.

She claimed that taking advantage of the pending enquiry, the second wife of her father was pressurising the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police to disburse the entire retirement benefits to them.
The petitioner prayed the court for a direction to the RDO, Tambaram, to complete the proceedings of enquiry in accordance with law within a time frame.
She also sought an interim injunction forbearing the Home Secretary and DGP from disbursing the retirement benefits till the disposal of her petition.