The generic decisions immediate fallout will be, another disgraced IPS officer, RK Sharma, convicted of murdering journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, would also lose his medal.
Further tightening the noose around SPS Rathore, convicted of molesting teen tennis player Ruchika Girhotra, the Centre has recommended the withdrawal of the police medal awarded to the former Haryana director general of police (DGP) in 1985.
The high-level central police awards committee (CPCA) of the home ministry took the decision in a marathon session held in the capital on Monday.
Significantly, the committee also decided to act tough on all Indian Police Service (IPS) officers convicted of “moral turpitude or bringing disrepute or disrespect” to the service. Such officers would be immediately stripped of awards in future.
The recommendations would be sent to the president for implementation. “CPCA has taken two primary decisions. It has also taken a generic decision authorising the home ministry to recommend the withdrawal of police medals to all persons convicted of moral turpitude and of acts that bring disrespect to police forces or officers dismissed from service for such an act,” home secretary GK Pillai, who heads the committee, said.
The generic decisions immediate fallout will be, another disgraced IPS officer, RK Sharma, convicted of murdering journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, would also lose his medal, ministry sources said.
Medals and other such honours are bestowed on police officers by the president on the recommendation of the home ministry. Once such a decision (to strip an officer of his medal) is taken, the recommendation is sent to the president, the sources said.
The CPCA decision was preceded by the Haryana government’s strong recommendation to strip Rathore of his police medal. In a letter to home minister P Chidambaram, chief minister BS Hooda said Rathore had brought “disrepute and bad name” to the state and its police force. He also pointed out acts of “moral turpitude” by the former IPS officer.
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