Y Puran Kumar (IPS: 2001: HY), who filed five complaints of “harassment and humiliation” against a senior IAS officer in less than two months, has objected to the formation of a committee comprising three former IAS officers on February 8 to investigate his charges. The committee, consisting of Rajan Gupta, Navraj Sandhu, and PK Das, was appointed to look into the allegations made by Kumar.
In his representation to the Haryana government, the IPS officer labeled the committee’s formation as “legally irrelevant” and “blatantly illegal.” Despite his objections, the committee initiated the “probe process” and conducted its second meeting on March 1, 2024, where the IPS officer was summoned to “present evidence and provide a statement on various issues listed by the panel.”
In his representation, the IPS officer contended that “retired IAS officers lack the authority to inquire or investigate such cases.” He underscored that the issue at hand pertains to a criminal complaint, urging the registration of an FIR against a senior IAS officer and others, citing multiple legal provisions.
The IPS officer asserted that his allegations pertain to “atrocities” and should be dealt with legally under the provisions of the SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which is a special Act. He pointed out that, according to Section 18 of the Act, there is no provision for a preliminary inquiry, and the specific rank of a police officer who can investigate such cases is clearly mentioned in the said Act.
