Puttingal temple fire: Setback for Kerala govt, SC orders reinstation of ousted DGP TP Senkumar

In a setback for Kerala government, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered to reinstate former state DGP TP Senkumar who was ousted in May last year after Puttingal temple fire tragedy in which 110 people were killed.

The top court stated that his removal was arbitrary and not as per established law.

Senkumar had filed a plea challenging the Kerala High Court's verdict that had upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) order. The CAT had not found any fault with the 2016 decision of the LDF government to transfer him from the post of DGP to the post of chairman and managing director of Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation.

Earlier, Kerala government had defended in the Supreme Court its decision to transfer him saying, he had protected "erring" police officials.

The state government had told a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Kumar that Senkumar's transfer was not a punishment for the "lapse" which had led to the April 10, 2016 incident but it was for how he had handled the fallout of the tragedy.

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.

Senkumar was transferred on the ground of his alleged inaction in the infamous Jisha murder case and Puttingal fireworks tragedy.