By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi High Court Thursday asked the Delhi police to give out of turn promotion to a policeman who helped nab Sher Singh Rana, prime accused in the 2001 murder of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi.
A division bench comprising Justices Madan B. Lokur and A.K. Pathak pulled up the police for not promoting assistant sub inspector (ASI) Ravinder Kumar to sub inspector for his bravery in nabbing Rana, the husband of the “bandit queen”, from Kolkata in 2006.
After Rana escaped from the Tihar Jail in February 2006, a police team consisting of five policemen, including Ravinder Kumar, was sent to Kolkata to nab Rana following a tip off received by the police. They succeeded in arresting him in May.
The team members were recommended to the designated committee for promotion. However, the Incentive Committee refused to consider Ravinder Kumar’s case, contending he had been given two out of turn promotions and there was no provision to give such promotion to any policeman for the third time.
Following the decision, Ravinder Kumar approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) which also turned down his plea. He then moved the Delhi High Court.
In his plea, he submitted all the other team members, except he, were given promotions.
Rana, along with 11 others, had allegedly conspired and killed the Samajwadi Party MP to avenge the 1981 Behmai massacre, in which she had killed 17 people of the Thakur caste.
The assailants had dropped their weapons at the murder spot after killing the MP outside her 44, Ashoka Road official residence on July 25, 2001.