The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday deleted the Haryana chief minister's name from a petition filed by Haryana police head constable Naresh Kumar, alleging that since he had mistakenly dialled chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's mobile number, he was dismissed from service.
However, the court headed by justice Rajiv Narain Raina directed the state government to inform it on the next date of hearing about the rationale behind re-instatement of Naresh Kumar after his suspension for indiscipline, absence from duty and using unparliamentary language against senior officers, as per the state's stand.
When the petitioner on October 10, 2010 had unwittingly made a call on the chief minister's mobile number to get the Rs 50 wrongly credited to his mobile phone refunded, he was told that Hooda to whom he was speaking was the Haryana chief minister. On this, the head constable had replied, "Haryana mein to saare Hooda khud ko chief minister samajhte hain (In Haryana, all Hoodas think themselves to be the chief minister)."
According to the petitioner, he mistakenly had made a call on the chief minister's mobile number, and on the very next day the then superintendent of police, Sirsa, threatened him under pressure from the chief minister. On November 11, 2010, the superintendent of police, Sirsa, ordered a departmental inquiry against him for absence from duty and misbehaving with a senior officer. Finally, the petitioner was dismissed from service on March 3, 2011, and his appeal was dismissed by the inspector general of police, Hisar range, in September 2011.
{{/usCountry}}According to the petitioner, he mistakenly had made a call on the chief minister's mobile number, and on the very next day the then superintendent of police, Sirsa, threatened him under pressure from the chief minister. On November 11, 2010, the superintendent of police, Sirsa, ordered a departmental inquiry against him for absence from duty and misbehaving with a senior officer. Finally, the petitioner was dismissed from service on March 3, 2011, and his appeal was dismissed by the inspector general of police, Hisar range, in September 2011.
{{/usCountry}}Ultimately, the state director general of police (DGP) in September 2012 reduced the punishment of dismissal from service to that of blocking three increments.
The petitioner has now moved the high court seeking quashing of the departmental inquiry against him and setting aside the DGP's order of blocking the three increments.