Overview
- Justice N. Sathish Kumar directed the High Court Registry to place the Registrar (Vigilance) report before the Vigilance Committee for disciplinary proceedings and the Transfer Committee for immediate action, noting the judge should not continue in Kancheepuram.
- Registrar (Vigilance) Jacintha Martin’s inquiry substantiated that Judge Pa. U. Chemmal misused his authority to remand DSP M. Sankar Ganesh due to a personal dispute with former PSO R. Lokeshwaran.
- Findings include pressure on police to register cases against the ex-PSO and his father-in-law, coercion of a Food Safety Officer to raid the family’s bakery, and coercive action against a local pharmacy.
- The High Court had on September 9 quashed the judge’s September 8 remand order as completely unwarranted and also set aside a September 4 suo motu externment, stressing courts cannot compel arrests or invoke such powers without proper legal basis.
- Statements from the Superintendent of Police, the DSP, the former PSO, and the Food Safety Officer were recorded during the probe, and formal disciplinary or transfer decisions now await committee consideration.