Former top TN IPS officer Rajesh Das convicted in sexual harassment case, gets bail

CHENNAI: A local court in Villupuram granted bail to former Special Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu, Rajesh Das, shortly after convicting him in a 2021 sexual harassment case on Friday.

The court allowed him 30 days' time for appeal.

Earlier in the day, the local court held him guilty of sexually harassing a woman IPS officer in 2021 when they were on protocol duty. The court also convicted and sentenced him to three years of Rigorous Imprisonment under Section 354 A (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and slapped a fine of ₹10,000. The court also sentenced him to three years of RI under section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman (Amendment) Act, 2002, and imposed a fine of ₹10,000. For offence under Section 341 read with 109 of IPC, he is sentenced to pay a fine of ₹500.

The Villupuram court also imposed a fine of Rs.500 for the then Chengalpattu SP D Kannan, who had tried to prevent the woman IPS officer from lodging a complaint.

The case dates back to February 21, 2021, when Rajesh Das, who was the then Special DGP of Law and Order, and the woman IPS officer were providing security to the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami during his election campaign. The woman IPS officer had alleged that Rajesh Das had sexually harassed her in his vehicle in the name of security advice.

Later, the Tamil Nadu Home Department under the AIADMK regime suspended Das and constituted a six-member inquiry committee. The woman officer had filed a complaint with the then DGP Tripathi, Home Secretary, Tamil Nadu against the senior officer.

Rajesh Das was also booked by the Villupuram CB-CID police for outraging the modesty of a woman under the Indian Penal Code and also under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act.

Several politicians in Tamil Nadu had criticised the then AIADMK-led State government. Chief Minister Stalin, who was then in the opposition had warned that the DMK will launch a massive protest if the State government did not take action against Das. Stalin had also pointed out how the Tamil Nadu government covered up a previous complaint against vigilance Director Murugan, who faced similar charges. He also added that then chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami should hang his head in shame as a women police officer who was deployed on security duty was subjected to such kind of harassment.

"The protector also needs protection during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) rule. When a woman IPS officer is sexually harassed by a high-ranked officer and the Chief Minister takes no notice of it, what hope do women in the state have in this regime?" DMK MP Kanimozhi had tweeted back then.

Makkal Needhi Maiam president and actor Kamal Hassan had said that he was shocked to know that a woman IPS officer was sexually harassed by a top police officer. Kamal Hassan demanded the Chief Minister prepare a document to get justice for the victim.

(With inputs from ANI)