Chennai: The Madras high court on Wednesday wondered whether a police officer would commit murder if his senior instructs him to do so, adding “only God can save the department”.
“God alone can save the police department,” Justice P. Velmurugan exclaimed while hearing the criminal revision petition filed by D. Kannan, the suspended superintendent of police (SP) of the Villupuram district, seeking his discharge from a sexual harassment case.
The official was cited as the second accused in a case. The first accused is a suspended special director general of police (DGP), who allegedly sexually harassed a subordinate female IPS officer.
The judge also observed, “It is a shame that the women in the police department are not treated with the dignity they deserve.”
The charge against Kannan was that he prevented the car in which the female SP was travelling to Chennai on February 22, 2021 to lodge a complaint against her superior with the state police chief.
When the petition came up for hearing on Wednesday, Kannan’s counsel told the judge that his client had carried out the instructions given by his superior. Disobeying the orders of the superior officers would amount to insubordination, he contended.
It was then that Justice Velmurugan asked whether Kannan would commit murder if he was told to do so by his superior. Only lawful instructions can be carried out, the judge observed.
“If a senior officer faces such allegations, how will the people have faith in the department? Only 10% of the police officers are acting as per their conscience,” the judge said, adding such incidents bring shame to the department.
Sensing that the judge is likely to dismiss the petition, the counsel sought the court’s permission to withdraw the plea. The judge dismissed it as withdrawn.