MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a batch of writ petitions filed by aspirants with criminal antecedent, who sought a direction to be considered for various posts in the police force. Their applications were rejected by the appointing authority on the grounds of criminal antecedent not having been disclosed.
Justice R. Mahadevan observed that the failure of a person to disclose in the application form either his involvement in a criminal case or pendency of a criminal case would entitle the appointing authority to reject the application on the ground of concealment of a material fact, irrespective of the ultimate outcome of the criminal case.
“The police force is a disciplined force. It shoulders the responsibility of maintaining law and order and public order in society. People repose great faith and confidence in it. It must be worthy of that confidence. A candidate wishing to join the police force must be a person of utmost rectitude. He must have impeccable character and integrity,” the judge said.
Further, the court said that a person having criminal antecedents would not fit into the category. Even if he was acquitted or discharged in a criminal case, that order would have to be examined to see whether he had been completely exonerated in the case because even a possibility of his taking to life of crimes posed a threat to the discipline of the police force.
The failure of the person to disclose his involvement in a criminal case when the application form was filled up was fatal. The subsequent disclosure would not cure the defect and the same would give the right to the appointing authority to reject his application on the ground of suppression and antecedent, the court said.
The court, while dismissing the writ petitions, directed the Director General of Police to make necessary amendments to the Tamil Nadu Police Subordinate Service Rules in this regard.