Thiruvananthapuram: In a setback to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Supreme Court directed the Kerala government to restore the services of DGP TP Senkumar after noting that his removal was arbitrary.
The apex court also quashed the Kerala government's earlier order which had sacked DGP TP Senkumar.
The bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta passed the order came on a petition by Senkumar challenging his transfer as the chairman and managing director of Kerala Police Housing Construction Corporation.
The Kerala government had defended in the apex court its decision to transfer Senkumar, saying he had protected "erring" police officials in the 2016 Puttingal temple fire tragedy in which 110 people were killed.
On April 10 last year, when Senkumar was Kerala's Director General of Police, there was an explosion leading to a blaze after a fireworks display went awry at Puttingal temple in Kollam district. 110 people had died while over 300 were injured in the incident.
