The Gauhati High Court has quashed an inquiry against a senior IPS officer by the Vigilance and Anti-corruption wing observing that "the findings in the preliminary report are blatantly contrary to the record and do not disclose any sort of misconduct on the part of the petitioner".
Quashing the inquiry, Chief Justice K S Rao recently observed, "It appears that deliberately no effort is made in the inquiry to ascertain the correctness of the materials furnished."
Amit Goyal, advocate for the IPS officer, told the court that time and again the police officer was victimised in the name of inquiry on a complaint which was closed in 2011.
A vigilance inquiry against the 1998 batch IPS officer, Anurag Agarwal, DIG(Border) was initiated so that his name for President's Police Medal for gallantry might be dropped owing to want of vigilance clearance, Agarwal said.
In a writ petition filed before Gauhati High Court by Agarwal, it was mentioned that in 2011 his name for President's Police Medal for gallantry was dropped with a senior officer stating that it was "discussed not approved by DGP".
Thereafter, the same findings were re-examined by his successor who had observed that delay in sending Agarwal's name was due to official impropriety and illogical noting, i.E. "discussed not approved by DGP", the petition said.
The successor, while recommending Agarwal's name for President's Police Medal for gallantry, had observed that the valiant action of the officer, then Superintendent of Police in Karbi Anglong district, against known KPLT militants resulting in elimination of KPLT cadre Andrio Terang and recovery of weapons, cannot be ignored by the noting of a senior officer, the writ petition pointed out.
The petition also mentioned that for refusing the vigilance clearance in 2012, a vigilance inquiry was started against Agarwal on a complaint lodged in 2002 and it was closed in 2011.
