Now, Kerala Police caught in a 'paint' controversy
Thiruvananthapuram, May 12 (IANS) Kerala Police has landed in a fresh controversy, this time over an order from former police chief Loknath Behra directing all police stations in the state to use the product of a particular paint company for colouring.
The matter came up before the Vigilance Court here on Friday, on a petition filed by P. Nawaz against the order. After accepting the petition, the court posted the case for May 20 for further hearing.
The case comes at a time when Director General of Police T.P. Senkumar, after an 11-month legal battle, managed to get an order from the apex court last month reinstating him as the state police chief.
Senkumar had to wait till last week, when he finally got back his seat replacing Loknath Behra, who has since been moved to head the Vigilance Department.
The court, while hearing the petition on Friday, came down heavily on the direction given by Behra directing all 470 police stations to use the paint of a particular company. In the course of hearing the petition, the court asked if Behra had the powers to give the direction, as it was made after the apex court on April 24 had directed Senkumar to be reinstated.
The petitioner alleged that a probe should be conducted into Behra's order. The court will now decide on it, after hearing all versions on May 20.
A miffed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio, had conducted a reshuffle of the middle and top level police officials a few days before Senkumar was given his posting. The 'paint' controversy has surfaced on account of the cold war between top officials who owe allegiance, respectively, to Senkumar and Behra.
--IANS
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