SC asks Centre to ensure safety of CAT members

NEW DELHI: Concerned about the safety of members of the Central Administrative Tribunal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to ensure that minimum courtesy be extended to them and they were not abused or manhandled by litigants or lumpen elements.
Dealing with an incident involving assault of a Bangalore Bench CAT member in Jharkhand by none other than a top police officer, a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan laid the general guideline that the Centre and the states would be responsible for providing adequate security to CAT members.
It asked the Centre and the states to provide adequate security to the Tribunal members within eight weeks.
The apex court had taken suo motu notice of a woman IPS officer of IG rank allegedly assaulting the judicial member of the CAT and had issued notices in March last year to the Centre and Jharkhand.
A letter received by the court had narrated how the IG-rank official, Nirmal Choudhary, ordered eight armed police personnel in uniform to assault CAT judicial member B V Rao on February 21, 2008, at Ranchi. Rao was on an official visit to Ranchi from Bangalore when the incident took place.
On the basis of the FIR lodged by Rao against Choudhary, the eight armed police personnel have already been suspended. Later, Choudhary had tendered an unconditional apology and cited unsoundness of mind for her irrational behaviour.