Raghuram Reddy to continue as Kurnool SP

CAT dismisses govt’s vacation petition

Hyderabad: For the first time in the history of Andhra Pradesh, an IPS officer had challenged the transfer order of the State Government and succeeded.

The officer in point is Superintendent of Police of Kurnool district, Dr Kolli Raghuram Reddy. The straight-going officer who has unearthed a number of white collar offences and brought the culprits to book while he was the Superintendent of Police in Prakasam District has been transferred within a few months back to Kurnool district.

Peeved by the transfer within three months, the SP approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging his transfer. The SP citing the judgement of the Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh Badal case, stated that as per the apex court’s judgment no station house officer, district superintendent of police and the DGP should be transferred within a period of two years after he was posted at a place. However, he was shifted from Kurnool within a short period of three months, he pointed out. The SP appealed to the CAT to set aside the transfer order.

The CAT while admitting the petition stayed the transfer of the district police officer and issued notice to the State Government to file the counter. The state government subsequently filed the petition seeking vacation of the stay order. The CAT on Wednesday dismissed the vacation petition filed by the state government stating there was no merit in the petition and the IPS officer would continue in the post till the final disposal of the case.