The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on Friday issued a warrant to arrest and produce before it IPS officer P. Saravanan after he, as Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police, failed to appear before it despite receiving multiple summons.
The Commission also imposed a fine of ₹500 on Mr. Saravanan and directed the Tirunelveli Collector to collect the sum from the police officer. It directed the Inspector General of Police (South Zone) to arrest the IPS officer and produce him before it on December 28.
The Commission had in June issued notices to the Tirunelveli SP in connection with a complaint by a petitioner belonging to a Scheduled Caste, but there was no reply from the officer. It extended another opportunity to the officer to reply, but he did not respond. After he failed to reply for the second time, it issued summons asking him to appear before it on October 27, but he failed to do so.
Since he did not appear, it issued another summons asking him to appear before it on October 30, but he did not comply.
The officer’s action of not replying to the notices and not appearing before it seemed as if he thought the directions of the Commission would not control him and that he was of the opinion that his appearing before the Commission would not befit his stature, the Commission said in a press release.