Thiruvananthapuram: Several tainted police officers, including some who face Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, figure on a jumbo list of nominees to the Indian Police Service (IPS) from Kerala.
The police headquarters (PHQ) has handed over a list of 33 officers to the home department to be considered for 17 vacancies, from 2015.
The state police chief had sent the list to the government in July. But the screening committee failed to meet and hence that list is being sent with the one for 2016. All other states had submitted their lists last year and the selections were finalized.
In Kerala, seven officers short-listed for 2014 were conferred IPS only in November last year. The home department now has 33 superintendents of police (SPs) to be considered for four vacancies from 2015 and 13 from 2016. Normally, thrice the number of nominees are considered for vacancies, home department sources say not many deserving candidates were available this time.
The main criterion for nomination is the completion of an eight-year tenure as deputy superintendent of police (DySP). Service seniority is also factored in. Apart from these, the recommendation should mention any ongoing inquiry in the name of each candidate, cases registered, disciplinary action, and confidential report (CR). A screening panel comprising the chief secretary, home secretary, and the police chief will make choices after examining the recommendations. The names of nominees are then passed on to the union home ministry along with integrity certificates. IPS is conferred after the reports are reviewed by representatives of the Union Public Service Commission and the Central government as also the panel in Kerala.
However, it is not unusual to dilute these reports and choose undeserving officers. The integrity certificate is a trump card for such manipulation. Among those on the list are:
» an SP facing CBI probe over human trafficking through airports;
» an officer who was recommended by the Crime Branch for disciplinary action for siding with a bar owner in the bar bribery scam;
» an SP who is facing inquiry for misusing official vehicle when he was a DySP, defying his SP in Alappuzha;
» another SP facing a Vigilance probe;
» an officer facing disciplinary action over irregularities in handling the abkari case at Vellarada police station.
Also on the list are some who have faced disciplinary action right from their days as sub-inspector. But many have been able to influence governments to get such details removed from the CR. The PHQ never passes on such details to the home department. Hence, the government is looking at other means to obtain such information.
One officer on the list had taken voluntary retirement in 2007. There also others who retired on completion of service.
The list
T.A. Saleem, A.K. Jamaluddeen, U. Abdul Kareem, K.M. Antony, J. Sukumara Pillai, T.F. Xavier, P.S. Sabu, C.K. Ramachandran (junior), K.P. Vijayakumaran, K.S. Vimal, James Joseph, K.M. Tomy, P.K. Madhu, R. Sukeshan, R. Jayakumar, A. Anil Kumar, K.B. Ravi, E.K. Sabu, S. Rajendran, P.B. Rajeev, C.F. Robert, K.S. Suresh Kumar, Thampi S. Durgadutt, Rathish Krishnan, P.V. Chacko, P. Krishnakumar, K. Sathishan, Tomy Sebastian, N. Vijayakumar, K.Rajendran, M.R. Premkumar, Baby Abraham, T. Ramachandran.