Bengaluru: Former police chief T.P. Senkumar filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court, while opposition parties staged a walk-out from the Kerala assembly, alleging delay in the reinstatement of the officer, as directed by the apex court on 24 April.
Senkumar has filed a contempt of court petition against the government in the Supreme Court for delaying his reinstatement as ordered by the court. The apex court on Tuesday listed the case for hearing on 5 May.
The opposition, meanwhile, walked out of the Kerala assembly on Tuesday in protest against the delay in the reinstatement of Senkumar to the post of Director General of Police (DGP).
The apex court had ordered the state government to reinstate Senkumar to the post of DGP. He was transferred from the post within two days of the Left Front government coming to power.
The order was seen as a setback for the government and rumours have been running thick that the government will prolong the implementation of the SC order citing technicalities until 29 June, the last working day for Senkumar who is retiring after that.
Even after eight days since the verdict, the state cabinet has not met to discuss this issue.
Moving an adjournment motion in the house, opposition member from Indian Union Muslim League M. Ummer said that present DGP Loknath Behra has been unseated by the court order and as the government has not yet reinstated Senkumar, the state has been without a police chief for the past one week.
In reply, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he has asked chief secretary Nalini Netto to initiate the reinstatement process, but did not give a time frame for the completion of the proceedings. He also declined to answer a pointed question from Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala to name the present DGP in Kerala.
The SC verdict is final, the government is duty-bound to carry out the order, said Vijayan, as per the web telecast of the assembly proceedings from Kerala.