An Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), which inquired into a recent sexual harassment complaint lodged by a woman Superintendent of Police against a Special Director General of Police (now under suspension), has completed its proceedings after hearing all parties concerned and submitted its preliminary report, the State government informed the Madras High Court on Wednesday.
Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, special senior counsel for the government A.L. Somayaji said the ICC’s preliminary report had been submitted to the government and that further course of action would follow in due course. When the Chief Justice insisted on a free and fair probe, the senior counsel assured that it would be done so.
The submissions were made during the hearing of a case filed by a retired police officer insisting upon a CBI probe into the issue. However, Mr. Somayaji brought to the notice of the court that Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the High Court had already taken suo motu cognisance of the issue and was monitoring the probe conducted by the CB-CID.
Stating that there could not be a better mechanism than a court-monitored probe, the senior counsel opposed the plea for a CBI probe. Advocate Abdul Saleem, representing the suspended Special DGP, also opposed the case on the ground that his client had already appeared in person before the ICC as well as the investigating officer of the CB-CID and answered all queries raised in connection with the complaint. The Division Bench was informed that Justice Venkatesh had heard the case last month and granted eight weeks’ time for the investigating agency to complete the probe and file a final report. The judge had also listed the case for hearing once again on April 30.
After recording their submissions, the first Division Bench disposed of the case seeking a CBI probe as the CB-CID probe was being monitored by the High Court.
