Foreign trip without permission: Clean chit given to S Sreejith quashed, High Court sets aside Chief Secretary's report

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has quashed the clean chit awarded to ADGP S Sreejith over the complaint of misusing official position by going on a foreign trip without permission. The court also criticised Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha for protecting Sreejith after setting aside the Chief Secretary's report, which had concluded that the allegations against Sreejith were baseless.

The court's intervention comes at a time when Sreejith is reportedly being considered for the post of the DGP following the suspension of M R Ajith Kumar. The High Court observed that conducting a joint hearing with both S Sreejith and the complainant present together was an improper procedure. The court said such a joint hearing was not a fair process. It noted that the complainant might have had several matters to present before the authority, including evidence against ADGP S Sreejith. The court criticised the joint hearing, observing that such a procedure could potentially prevent or undermine the presentation of that evidence.

The complaint alleged that S Sreejith travelled abroad without obtaining prior official permission. The complainant, Dipin Edavana, had filed the complaint with the Home Department and later moved the High Court after no action was taken for an extended period. The court had then directed Home Department Additional Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha to hear the complainant and take an appropriate decision within three months.

The High Court said Dipin Edavana was not given a proper opportunity to present his case. It also observed that senior officials are expected to maintain high standards of discipline and fairness. The court further criticised the report, saying it did not even mention the date properly. The observations relate to the hearing conducted by Bishwanath Sinha when he was serving as Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department.