Supreme Court slams TN for suspending ADGP, says it's demoralising

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Wednesday disapproved of Tamil Nadu govt's decision to suspend additional director general of police (ADGP) H M Jayaram after Madras HC ordered his arrest in an abduction case and asked it to inform the court within 24 hours "why the suspension be not withdrawn".When Jayaram's counsel Aditya K Choudhary said the IPS officer had an unblemished 28-year service record and that he was not involved in the abduction case, a partial working day bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan asked TN govt's counsel, "why have you suspended him? He is a senior police officer, and he has joined the investigation. Such suspension orders are very demoralising".TN govt counsel Misha R Mohta informed the court that Jayaram had not been arrested and was released after questioning.

However, he was placed under suspension, she accepted, asking the court for time to obtain instructions from state govt on whether the suspension order, issued following the HC's directive, would be withdrawn.Jayaram has been accused of aiding and abetting the kidnapping of a 19-year-old youth, whose brother had married a woman without the approval of her family members. When the couple eloped and could not be traced, the police allegedly kidnapped the youth, transported him in Jayaram's vehicle and tortured him to reveal the couple's whereabouts.

On Monday, Justice P Velmurugan of Madras HC directed the police to arrest Jayaram, saying "a strong message should go to public that no one is above law". This order was passed during the hearing of an anticipatory bail plea filed by legislator K V Kuppam, who is also an accused in the case. The high court denied the MLA relief and ordered him to cooperate with the investigators probing the case.