Sexual harassment: Madras High Court postpones ruling on appeal of former DGP

On Wednesday, Madras High Court Judge M. Dhandapani postponed decisions about the petitions filed by former DGP Rajesh Das, who was accused of sexually abusing an IPS officer and wanting to avoid appearing before the trial court and having his three-year sentence suspended. Additional Public Prosecutor R Muniapparaj, speaking for the CB-CID, opposed to granting exemption and postponing the sentence due to the seriousness of the offense when the petitions were brought up for hearing.

Noting that the victim is a police officer as well, he said the retired police officer was seeking relief on the grounds that he had occupied the highest position in the department.

Speaking on behalf of Das, attorney John Sathyan said that he was a victim of the police force’s then-head’s enmity since the latter had to seek his approval on all issues pertaining to peace and order. The judge postponed making the decision after the arguments.

The district court and principal sessions affirmed Das’s sentence of three years in jail, which he received from the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Villpuram for harassing the officer in a sexual manner in 2021. He has been escaping the trial court without turning himself in.