Former railway police Ankush Lavu Rawle, as a caretaker of the railway quarters, used to send notices to senior officers for not vacating houses even after had been transferred.
His effort was futile.
After Rawle was transferred to the city police, he had been asked to vacate his railway quarter. "I had an inauspicious beginning to the new year. Men were sent to throw my belongings out," said Rawle, now a constable with Tardeo LA.
He filed a suit against commissioner of railways Prabhat Kumar and Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh. He has made a list of errant senior officials and produced it in the city civil court, asking the reason with the railways discrimination between senior officials and a constable. "I contended that under the Government Resolution passed on November 5, 1993, if an employee has been transferred from the city to Navi Mumbai or Thane, he/she need not vacate the quarter," he added.
Sources said that the GR is only a circular for those officials who are transferred on a temporary basis. The complainant has been permanently transferred.
On Thursday, the court said that the railway police had overlooked the Bombay Police Eviction Act 1955 by landing at Rawle's house. It scheduled the next hearing on January 21.
Former railway commissioner Tukaram Chavan, additional commissioner of police Qaiser Khalid and assistant police commissioner RH Roopwate are among the 34 officials who have not vacated the quarters at Dadar Railway Colony after their transfers.
On the list are 12 police sub-inspectors and eight police inspectors and two assistant police inspectors who have not moved out. "Senior police officials have a strong political backing unlike the constables," said advocate Anil Bugde. He added that he plans to file a PIL in the Bombay high court.
