SC stays Karnataka High Court order on Shankar Bidari

Issues notice to State government on former DGPs SLP

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Karnataka High Court order which held empanelment of IPS officer Shankar M Bidari as the Karnataka police chief as vitiated, in view of the State government’s failure to produce reports allegedly indicting him for human rights violations in the manhunt against forest brigand Veerappan.

A vacation bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad also issued a notice to the State government and others on the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Bidari against the May 28 HC order.

“Permission to file SLP is granted. Issue notice. In the meantime, there shall be an interim stay of the judgment of the High Court, till further orders,” the bench said.

‘Nothing adverse’

Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for Bidari, challenged the HC order contending that there was nothing adverse against the officer either in the order passed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) or the Justice Sadashiva panel report, a fact finding committee constituted to look into charges of human rights violations.

“After getting a gallantry medal, is this the fate that awaits an officer?” he asked.

Seeking suspension of the HC order, the counsel claimed that the tenure of Bidari, who was to superannuate on May 31, was still continuing and would expire only on November 29, 2013, in view of the apex court verdict in Prakash Singh’s case fixing the term of the state police chief for two years.

‘Reinstate Bidari’

Subramaniam sought reinstatement of the officer to the post of DGP.

A counsel representing the state government submitted that senior IPS officer Lalrokhuma Pachau has assumed charge as the interim Director General and Inspector General of Police, Karnataka.

The bench, admitting the SLP, sought response from the State government as well as others.

Bidari had challenged in the HC the March 16 order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), quashing his appointment to the post of Director General of Police on November 30 last year.