Senior Tamil Nadu cop Rajesh Das sent to 3 years in jail for sexual harassment

As per a report by LiveLaw, former ADGP Rajesh Das has been sentenced to three years of imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of ₹10,000 by a court. The charges against him relate to the sexual harassment of a junior woman police official, as per her complaint filed in early 2021.

The report noted that after the woman officer lodged a complaint alleging sexual harassment by the Special DGP in his official car during their official visit to Ulundurpet District on February 21, 2021, the Director General of Police in Chennai initiated appropriate measures.

As a result, the CBCID filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the Special DGP and the Superintendent of Police, Chengalpet, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, 1998.

In response to the woman officer’s sexual harassment complaint, a committee was formed to investigate the matter. The woman officer further claimed that the Special DGP and others obstructed her from lodging the complaint.

In 2021, the Madras High Court took suo moto notice of the matter, describing it as “shocking” and “monstrous” with significant implications for women officers in the Tamil Nadu Police Force.

The court strongly condemned the incident and recognized it as an exceptional case that required close monitoring of the investigation. In compliance with the court’s directives, the Tamil Nadu government suspended the officer involved.

Das approached the Supreme Court, requesting the relocation of the trial outside of Tamil Nadu, as the High Court was still overseeing the investigation. He argued that the High Court’s multiple rulings against him had negatively affected his prospects of receiving a fair trial. Additionally, he sought to invalidate all previous orders made by the High Court.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the suo moto case filed by the High Court for monitoring the investigation and directed the trial court to independently evaluate the case based on its own merits. The Supreme Court emphasized that the trial court should not be influenced in any way by the previous orders issued by the High Court.

Updated: 16 Jun 2023, 01:17 PM IST