The Madras High Court on Monday condemned the DGP (civil supplies) K Radhakrishnan for not allowing woman inspectors in the civil supplies CID (CSCID).
The court also warned him that it would be seen as gender discrimination in the future, reported The Times of India.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar said that women officers will be encouraged to opt for the CSCID. “The mental process of excluding the women officers must be eschewed and we caution the officer not to approach a posting with such an intent. Any action to the contrary will be viewed as a gender discrimination issue against the officer concerned,” they said.
The court also cautioned the officer for making false explanations. He had earlier stated a government order dated October 19, 2005 and claimed that it said women officers should not be allowed in the department. On Monday, it was revealed in the court that the GO did not contain any such statement.
The court said that the counter affidavit filed by K Radhakrishnan, IPS, now clarifies that the GO does not refer to any debarment of women police officers from being part of civil supplies criminal investigation department so long as it meets the same guidelines which are meant for either men or women police officers.
The affidavit now seeks to set up a case as if there was unwillingness or non-meeting of the norms by the women police officers as the reason for issuance of the letter dated September 22, 2016, the court stated. It added that he has no personal reservations in taking women police inspectors, reported TOI.
On September 22, 2016, Radhakrishnan had written to authorities against induction of women officers in the CSCID department. The judge said that it seems to be a re-think rather that the right explanation, as Radhakrishnan had stated that women inspectors were not inducted in the department since 1964.
The court closed the PIL filed against Radhakrishnan’s letter for not inducting women into the department but said it has started suo moto PIL proceedings.