By Mohamed Imranullah S

Copyright thehindu

An inquiry ordered by the Madras High Court has substantiated the charge of Kancheepuram Principal District and Sessions Judge Pa.U. Chemmal having passed an order to remand a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in judicial custody earlier this month due to a personal dispute between the judge and his former Personal Security Officer (PSO).

Justice N. Sathish Kumar on Tuesday (September 23, 2025) directed the High Court Registry to place the inquiry report of the Registrar (Vigilance) before the Vigilance Committee (comprising senior judges of the High Court) for appropriate action. He also ordered that the inquiry report be placed before the Transfer Committee to take immediate action against the judicial officer.

Passing orders on a petition filed by the Kancheepuram Superintendent of Police against the remand order passed by the district judge on September 8, 2025, Justice Kumar on September 9, 2025, set aside the remand order and directed the Registrar (Vigilance) Jacintha Martin to conduct a thorough inquiry regarding the allegations that were levelled against the judicial officer by the police.

Accordingly, Additional Public Prosecutor K.M.D. Muhilan on Tuesday told Justice Kumar that the Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, and the former PSO to the district judge had appeared before the Registrar (Vigilance), and their statements were recorded. The APP said, one more additional fact came to light after the last hearing of the case.

He pointed out that the prime allegation of the police was that the district judge had forced the law enforcing agency to register a criminal case against his former PSO R. Lokeshwaran and the latter’s father-in-law, who owned a bakery in the locality, because he suspected the former PSO of spreading canards against him. The DSP was remanded for not arresting Mr. Lokeshwaran.

“After the inquiry order passed by this court during the last hearing, it came to light that the district judge had even forced a Food Safety Officer (FSO) in Kancheepuram to raid the bakery. The FSO also appeared before the Registrar (Vigilance) and his statement too was recorded,” Mr. Muhilan said. He urged the court to pass further orders after perusing the Registrar’s inquiry report.

Stating that he had gone through the entire inquiry report, Justice Kumar said, it substantiates the allegations levelled by the police against the principal district judge, besides referring to other charges such as taking coercive action against a local pharmacy, which refused to dispense medicines without a prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner.

Therefore, Justice Kumar directed the Registry to place the inquiry report before the Vigilance Committee for initiation of disciplinary proceedings and also before the Transfer Committee for immediate action, as it would not be conducive to let the judicial officer continue in Kancheepuram any further.