GANDHINAGAR: R. B. Sreekumar, Additional Director-General of Police, Gujarat, who fought against the Narendra Modi Government, has retired from service. He, however, scored a victory of sorts with the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ruling in his favour against the Government's "refusal" to grant him promotion.

But the CAT order came only a few hours before 1971-batch IPS officer ended his innings in the State police cadre on February 28. Also, the order could not be implemented as a related case is still pending in the Supreme Court. His pension will not be cleared until the court order is received.

The IPS Officers Association accorded him a farewell. Among those present were P. C. Pandey, DGP, against whom Mr. Sreekumar levelled a complaint of inaction during the 2002 communal riots when he was Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, and the two officers who superseded him.

Mr. Sreekumar said he bore no malice against anyone but he fought the case before the CAT against his supersession and to uphold self-respect. He would continue to stay in Gujarat and fight the cases pending against him.

In 2005, the Modi administration denied him promotion on the ground that a charge sheet against him, related to the period he was SP in Kutch in 1987, was pending in court.

Mr. Sreekumar moved the CAT alleging mala fides on the part of the Government in denying him promotion after raking up a 20-year old case. He said he was denied promotion only because he had submitted affidavits before the G. T. Nanavati-K.G. Shah judicial inquiry commission, the National Human Rights Commission and other statutory bodies alleging complacency on the part of the Chief Minister and some senior administrative officers during the 2002 communal riots. He also submitted to the inquiry commission a "semi-official" diary, which spoke of "specific knowledge" of Mr. Modi having issued "instructions" to the police to "allow the Hindus to take revenge" for the Godhra train carnage.

The CAT issued the order in his favour after the Centre, in an affidavit filed a few days before his retirement, said that as the State Government itself had not earlier sanctioned prosecution in the 1987 case, denial of promotion to Mr. Sreekumar on the ground of pending charge sheet should be treated as not valid.

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