Post VRS plea, IG Bharti Arora told to explain SLP in Supreme Court

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, August 16

Days after IPS officer Bharti Arora, who is currently posted as IG, Ambala range, sought voluntary retirement from service, then state DGP Manoj Yadava sought information regarding a Special Leave Petition filed by Arora in the Supreme Court. Arora had challenged an order issued by the Punjab and Haryana HC in a matter related to an NDPS case of 2005.

The DGP had sought the background of the case to ascertain if it had any bearing on her request for VRS. The letter issued on August 13 by the office of DGP reads: “It has been brought to my notice that an SLP (Criminal) No. 8738/2010 has been filed by you in the Supreme Court… you have challenged an order dated 14.10. 2010 of the Punjab and Haryana HC issued in the matter of Criminal Revision Petition No. 2194/2008 in the matter of Bharti Arora versus State of Haryana.”

“You are requested to inform the background of this case within three days with particular reference to whether it has any bearing on your request for voluntary retirement from the Indian Police Services,” the letter further reads.

When contacted, IG Arora said: “I haven’t received the letter yet. I have filed an SLP in the Supreme Court against the orders of Punjab and Haryana HC. The SLP was admitted in the SC. It was a matter related to an NDPS case and it doesn’t have any bearing on my retirement as the notice was issued to three people, out of whom two (Inspector and DSP) have already retired. In this matter, an inquiry was conducted on the orders of the trial court by the DGP and that report of the DGP had held the investigation of the Kurukshetra police to be correct. The state of Haryana has also filed in the High Court an appeal against the orders of the trial court, which is admitted. ”

When contacted, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said Yadava’s letter was yet to be brought to his knowledge.

In July, Arora had sought voluntary retirement from service “to serve Lord Krishna”.

In her request to Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan through then DGP Manoj Yadava, Bharti Arora, a1998-batch IPS officer, had on July 24 submitted that she sought retirement from service with effect from August 1.