The Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) is all set to submit his findings to the Madras High Court on the investigation conducted by the CB-CID into allegations that a senior IPS officer cheated a woman through the false promise of marriage. The DGP was ordered to file his response after the accused officer – Deputy Director of Tamil Nadu Police Academy, S Selvanagarathinam – challenged the CB-CID’s initial findings. These findings had led the Home Secretary to issue a memo recommending disciplinary action against the officer. The memo, a copy of which was accessed by TNM, described Selvanagarathinam’s actions as “reprehensible” and came down hard on the officer for allegedly "threatening to shoot” the woman.
The case against the IPS officer is based on a complaint by Latha (name changed) who had approached the DGP in September 2022, alleging that Selvanagarathinam had a relationship with her on the false pretext of marrying her and later threatened her when she tried to speak out. Meanwhile, her friend told TNM that Latha was forced to go into hiding after a case of cyber harassment was filed against her by the wife of the accused IPS officer. Latha disappeared after she was summoned to appear before the Bengaluru City’s Cyber Economic and Narcotic Crime (CEN) police a few months ago in connection with this case. Since then, her whereabouts are unknown and her well-wishers are worried about her safety.
A top government source, on condition of anonymity, told TNM that the CB-CID had submitted two reports to the government regarding the case. The first report submitted on December 26, 2022, contained CB-CID’s findings based on the allegations levelled by Latha and supporting documents, and the second report on allegations levelled by the IPS officer who had said the complainant had attempted to extort money from him.
Latha, an MBA graduate from Chennai, wrote an email to the Tamil Nadu Police Academy Chief, listing out what Selvanagarathinam allegedly did to her. The emails were forwarded to the DGP, Sylendra Babu, and the CB-CID was told to conduct a preliminary inquiry.
In her detailed complaint to the CB-CID, Latha alleged she got acquainted with Selvanagarathinam through Instagram in 2019. Prior to that, Latha, in a social media post, wrote, "He started as a friend, philosopher, and guide in the beginning. Later, he invited me for a movie and lunch date, where he said he had a breakup with his wife and his divorce trials are going on. He claimed that he was a lonely soul and his marital life was a failure," she added.
Sources in the CB-CID told TNM that the preliminary findings confirmed that Selvanagarathinam visited multiple places with Latha between August and October 2019. Based on the findings of the CB-CID, on December 31, 2022, then Home Secretary K Phanindra Reddy issued a ‘charge memo’ to Selvanagarathinam. According to the charge memo, a copy of which is with TNM, the government had ordered disciplinary proceedings against the officer for misconduct. "Based on the complaint, the appropriate forum of the government had enquired and submitted its report to the government along with connected records through the Director General of Police/Head of Police Force, recommending to initiate departmental disciplinary proceedings in the matter," the memo read.
Further, the memo stated, "That you, by highly reprehensible conduct in having introduced to one Latha through Instagram during the year 2019, developed an inappropriate and illegal relationship/physical relationship with her and also gave false assurance to marry her with an ulterior motive. At one stage, you tried to avoid her with rude behaviour and threatened to shoot her.”
The officer was also accused of violating the sub-rule (1) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, which states, "Every member of the Service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service."
The charge memo was attached with substantiating documents, a list of witnesses and their statements. The Home Department had also requested Selvanagarathinam to submit his written statement or defence within 30 days, specifically admitting or denying the charges.
The IPS officer did not reply to the memo but chose to contest the case in court. He sought copies of the documents and statements of the witnesses that the government was relying on to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him. While he was provided copies of the documents and list of witnesses, the Home Department rejected his request for copies of statements of witnesses on January 11, 2023. Selvanagarathinam approached the Madras High Court, seeking direction from the court to furnish all the documents referred to in the charge memo and annexures.
During the arguments, the senior counsel who appeared on behalf of Selvanagarathinam alleged that the CB-CID officer who conducted the preliminary inquiry was biased and attempted to settle the dispute with him by negotiating for money. The petition read, “The petitioner apprehends that he will not get a fair inquiry in this case.” However, Justice N Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court did not grant any immediate relief and asked the officer to raise his concerns in a writ petition. Selvanagarathinam withdrew the petition from the court saying he would file a fresh writ petition seeking relief and raising relevant grounds.
Selvanagarathinam then approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) seeking relief by quashing the charge memo and an interim stay order on the disciplinary proceedings against him. In the petition, Selvanagarathinam claimed that he had been discharging his duties without any blemish since 2010 and alleged that on March 25, 2022, the CB-CID investigative officer Maheshwari informed him about a news article to be published against him by a Tamil weekly magazine.
He also claimed complainant Latha had harassed his family members directly and through various people and had demanded ransom. In the petition, Selvanagarathinam also accused the CB-CID investigating officer Maheshwari of conducting an inquiry with mala fide intention and giving an adverse report/finding against him. The CAT rejected the interim prayer to stay the disciplinary proceedings and adjourned the matter to June 6.
Following the rejection of his plea in the Tribunal, Selvanagarathinam again approached the Madras High Court on May 2, seeking a stay on the disciplinary proceedings. This time, it was before another bench of the court, comprising Justices AD Jagadish Chandira and C Saravanan. The bench directed CB-CID to submit its reply on June 5, 2023.
The complaint filed by Selvanagarathinam’s wife on July 2, 2022, with the Bengaluru CEN police says that unidentified persons from two Instagram handles have been sending offensive messages. The complaint did not see the light of day till the first week of December 2022. The investigation picked up pace coincidentally when the CB-CID was about to finish its inquiry into the allegations levelled against Selvanagarathinam.
An FIR was registered against an unknown person under Sections 66 (sending offensive messages) and 67 (transmitting sexually explicit content online) of the Information Technology Act. On February 17, 2023, Latha received summons from the Bengaluru East division CEN station asking her to appear before the investigating officer on February 27, 2023.
Latha failed to answer the summons, and on March 10, 2023, a team of police officials from Bengaluru visited Chennai to inquire about the whereabouts of Latha in connection with the FIR registered against her in Bengaluru. When TNM contacted the Bengaluru East Police officials, they said the accused person was still ‘absconding’.
Friends of Latha alleged that several people attempted to approach her to settle the matter, but she refused to withdraw her complaint. “Someone who spoke on behalf of the officer promised to get Rs 85 lakh to settle the matter based on two conditions. One, Latha should delete all the messages and second, she should give it in writing that Selvanagarathinam had nothing to do with her, but she refused,” she added. The officer however has alleged in his petitions that it was the complainant who tried to extort money from him.
The Tamil Nadu government is yet to appoint an officer to initiate departmental proceedings against Selvanagarathinam. Speaking to TNM, former IAS officer MG Devasahayam said the charges against the SP-level officer were major penalty charges as per the All India Service (Conduct) rules. “This is a clear case of a major penalty and the procedure adopted by the government of Tamil Nadu is absolutely correct. The government will wait for the officer’s reply to conclude the departmental proceedings and submit the report to Delhi. The Ministry of Home Affairs will take the final decision,” he added.
TNM reached out to Selvanagarathinam for his response, but he declined to comment on the issue.