MHC confirms dismissal of cops for harassing women

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court confirmed the disciplinary proceedings committee’s order dismissing two police constables with the Virugambakkam police station on charges of sexually harassing women residents of a hostel in 2014.

Justice SM Subramaniam issued the order while dismissing the petitions filed by former head constable G Raja and ex-constable K Kumaresan, who sought a direction to quash the dismissal order and the rejection of their appeal by the city police Commissioner. The petitioner claimed there was no evidence to establish the charges framed against him.

“Merely based on presumptions and assumptions, the authorities formed an opinion and imposed the major penalty of dismissal from service,” the counsel submitted.

However, the judge held that the preliminary inquiry conducted by an Assistant Commissioner unambiguously stated that the incident occurred and the charged officials had misbehaved and sexually harassed the women as alleged. “The findings of misconduct are based on some evidence and applying the principles of the preponderance of probabilities and thus, the findings of the enquiry officer and the disciplinary authority did not suffer from perversity,” the judge held.