A court in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram on Friday sentenced former senior Tamil Nadu cop Rajesh Das to three years in jail for sexually harassing a junior officer while on duty, the PTI reported. 

In addition to the prison term, Das was fined Rs 10,000. Another male police officer who had attempted to prevent the complaint from being filed was also fined Rs 500.

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The case stems from a complaint filed by a woman police officer in February 2021. She had accused Das, who held the position of Special Director-General in Tamil Nadu’s police force, of making sexual advances towards her during their official travel in the central districts of the state. 

The incident occurred when Edappadi Palaniswami, a leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), was the chief minister, as reported by The Hindustan Times. 

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According to The Times of India, the harassment took place while security preparations were being made for the former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswmi’s visit to Tamil Nadu’s central districts. In the case, 68 witnesses in total were examined.

According to The Hindustan times, to investigate the complaint, a six-member committee was established by the state government. The case gained significant attention during the 2021 Assembly election, which the AIADMK ultimately lost. 

As a result, Das was replaced by Jayanth Murali, the Additional Director General in charge of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, and was placed under compulsory wait without a specific assignment. Later on, he was suspended from his position.

Following the filing of the complaint, Das challenged the jurisdictional competence of the Villupuram court, but the Madras High Court dismissed his plea. Justice P Velmurugan, who presided over the case, upheld the lower court’s decision, emphasizing that the High Court found no ‘perversity’ in the previous order and cautioned against any prejudice.