IPS officer Kundu moves SC after Himachal HC dismisses plea against removal from DGP post

New Delhi: Senior IPS official Sanjay Kundu has again knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court after the Himachal Pradesh High Court refused to recall an order asking the state government to shift him from the post of state Director General of Police.

The High Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea filed by Kundu and Kangra Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri seeking recall of its earlier order directing the Home Secretary to shift the two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to some other posts so they "do not have any opportunity to influence investigation in an alleged intimidation of a businessman".

In an earlier round of litigation, the Supreme Court had passed an interim order staying the high court direction and asked Kundu -- a 1989-batch IPS officer -- to approach the High Court with an application seeking recall of order removing him from the post of DGP.

Kundu had pleaded before the apex court that he was not given any opportunity of hearing by the High Court before passing the impugned directive.

In an order on December 26, a bench of Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua had directed the state government to shift the state police chief and the Kangra SP in the wake of a complaint by a Palampur-based businessman who had apprehended threat to life.

Complainant Nishant Sharma had alleged threat to him, his family and property from his partners and cited an incident of “brutal attack” on him in Gurugram on August 25, saying two influential people of Himachal, including a former IPS officer, were identified in the CCTV footage.