FIR against IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan for not joining duty
Daman: A police case has been registered against Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) last August, for not joining duty as directed by the government amid the coronavirus pandemic.
An FIR under the Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act was registered against him on April 21 at Moti Daman police station in the Union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, police said.
He is also facing a charge under section 188 of the IPC for refusing to obey a government order, said police inspector Liladhar Makwana. Gopinathan, who hails from Kerala, had quit the service over "denial of freedom to the people of Jammu and Kashmir".
"Based on a complaint by Superintendent of Personnel H K Kamble, an FIR has been registered against Gopinathan for not resuming his duty in the wake of coronavirus pandemic," the police officer said.
On April 9, the Union Territory's administration had sent a communication to Gopinathan, asking him to join duty on the ground that his resignation had not been accepted yet.
Gopinathan termed the letter as an act of harassment and refused to join duty, saying he was ready to offer his services amid the COVID-19 crisis as a common citizen.
He had submitted resignation to the Union Home Ministry on August 21 following the imposition of restrictions in Jammu & Kashmir after the scrapping of its special status. He was then serving as secretary, power department of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
While refusing to join the duty, the 33-year-old bureaucrat said in his letter to the government earlier this month that he was ready to help people as a common citizen.
"But as I have already resigned from IAS, my services won't anymore require the tag of an IAS officer, or the perks and salary that it entails.
"I provide my service voluntarily as a free and responsible citizen of this country," the letter said.
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Kerala DGP recommends action against ADGP Ajith Kumar for false testimony
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s Director General of Police (DGP) Sheikh Darvesh Saheb has submitted a report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recommending legal action against Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) M.R. Ajithkumar for allegedly making a false statement implicating a fellow officer.
The DGP’s report states that both civil and criminal cases could be initiated against Ajithkumar for falsely accusing ADGP P. Vijayan of having ties to a gold smuggling gang. Following the allegation, Vijayan filed a formal complaint with the state police chief, prompting a direct investigation by the DGP.
After conducting the probe, DGP Sheikh Darvesh Saheb exonerated Vijayan and recommended that Ajithkumar be held accountable for his misleading claims.
The development has political overtones as well. P.V. Anvar, a two-time legislator who was elected as a CPI(M)-backed independent, resigned from his post after his own complaint against Ajithkumar was dismissed by the CPI(M) leadership and the Chief Minister. Anvar has since joined the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and declared support for the Congress candidate in the upcoming Nilambur assembly by-election.
Anvar accused the ruling dispensation of shielding Ajithkumar, alleging, “If anyone believes action will be taken based on this report, they are living in a fool’s paradise.” He also claimed that CM Vijayan considers Ajithkumar his “third son.”
The controversy unfolds as DGP Sheikh Darvesh Saheb prepares to retire on May 30. With six officers under consideration to succeed him, Ajithkumar ranks sixth on the list—a position now clouded by the fallout from the DGP’s report.
The final decision on whether action will be taken against Ajithkumar now lies with Chief Minister Vijayan.
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