Natarajan suspension to be revoked, state govt tells CAT

RANCHI: Suspension of IG P S Natarajan will be revoked within 15 days, the state home secretary informed the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Friday.
Natarajan, a 1975 batch officer, was suspended by the govt in 2005 after he was caught on camera in a compromising position with a tribal girl.
Appearing before the CAT comprising Justice Rekha Kumari and Justice A K Jain in a contempt case, home secretary J B Tubid gave an undertaking that in compliance with the earlier order of the court, suspension of IG PS Natarajan would be revoked within a fortnight.
The division bench asked the home secretary as to why the order of the court was not complied with, to which Tubid replied the state government had sent the requisition for the same to the central government.
The court noted the undertaking and said after compliance of the order by the state government, a communication should be sent to the Patna bench of CAT.
"The hearing of the case was adjourned for July 4," said Sujit Narayan Prasad, advocate for Natarajan.
The CAT in its order in December asked the state government to quash the suspension order as no due process of law was followed.
The CAT order was challenged by the state government in the Jharkhand high court, which demanded a stay on the order. On March 30, the high court had refused to stay the CAT order.
A contempt petition was filed in the CAT by Natarajan, in which he said that despite the court's order and the high court refusing to grant stay on the order of court, the state government had not revoked his suspension.
On Thursday, the CAT had asked Tubid to appear personally in the court and file a reply in the contempt proceeding.