Marital row stops trainee cop from joining service

CHENNAI: The Madras high court has restrained the state police chief and the DGP (training) from inducting a trainee deputy superintendent of police into service, citing dowry harassment and domestic violence cases pending against him.
The trainee DSP, Vinoth Santharam, is scheduled to complete his training on January 19.
Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar, passing interim orders on a petition filed by the trainee officer’s wife K Lakshmipriya, on Friday said: “In view of the counter-affidavit filed by the authorities, stating that investigation into allegations of dowry harassment and domestic violence is pending against Vinoth Santharam, there will be an interim injunction for a period of one week.”
Lakshmipriya and Santharam were cousins, and their wedding took place on February 5, 2009.In her petition, Lakshmipriya said her husband, who was a clerk in a bank in Coimbatore, first cleared a Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) examination to become an assistant section officer. By another attempt he cleared the TNPSC examination for Group-1 posts and was selected as DSP.
She claimed that her parents-in-law prevented the couple from living together and separated Santharam from her and their one-year-old girl child. An Erode court rejected Santharam’s divorce petition, and instead, allowed her petition for restitution of conjugal rights in February 2012. In spite of the court order, Santharam did not live with the family, she alleged, adding that she was subjected to cruelty and harassment for dowry by her husband and in-laws.
Lakshmipriya said that a person who did not comply with court orders and live together with his family was not fit to serve in police force where discipline is the key. She said she had sent complaints and representations to the DGPs concerned in June 2012 requesting their intervention. When nothing worked, she approached the high court to stop Santharam’s induction into the force as DSP. Noting that the DGP might issue appointment orders for Santharam within a week, she wanted the police administration to be restrained from issuing such orders till the petition is disposed of.