SC asks Centre whether Ramasundaram can join CBI as Additional Director

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to make its stand clear whether senior Tamil Nadu cadre woman IPS officer, Archana Ramasundaram, would be considered in future for the post of Additional Director in CBI.

The apex court asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to come before it with instruction as the officer, who is now the Director of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), was restrained by it to discharge function as the Additional Director of the CBI as she had joined the agency without being relieved by the Tamil Nadu Government which had suspended her.

Later, her suspension was revoked and Ramasundaram, a 1980 batch Indian Police Service (IPS), officer was moved from the CBI to NCRB.

The development had taken place when a petition against her appointment was pending before the apex court which had restrained her from discharging her duty as Additional Director in CBI and asking her to first get the suspension order repealed.

Ramsundaram had also complained that the apex court order was in the way of her promotion to the rank of DGP.

A bench of Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra posted the matter for hearing on Thursday asking the Solicitor General "to take instruction whether the officer would be considered for the rank of Additional Director, CBI in future or not."

The bench noted that the order retraining her from discharging her duty as Additional Director was passed keeping in view that it would be subject to the outcome of the decision in the PIL.

A PIL was filed in early 2014 against posting Ramasundaram as CBI's Additional Director without following proper procedure of getting the consent of Tamil Nadu government, to whose police force she belongs.

The apex court had on May 9, 2014 restrained her from discharging her duty as Additional Director in CBI.

The officer had joined the CBI pursuant to the Centre's

direction and there was no relieving order from the state government.

Tamil Nadu government had also submitted that the IPS officer joined the CBI without being relieved by it.

The state government had submitted that she joined CBI on May 8 and on the same day she was placed under suspension and she cannot be promoted till that order is revoked or stayed.

Earlier, on August 19, the court had refused to withdraw its order restraining Ramasundaram from functioning as Additional Director in CBI and the Attorney General had conveyed his view that the only way to now sort out the issue was that she goes out of the agency.

The court was of the view that rules require concurrence of the state government and every action has to be initiated by taking into account the federal structure.

It had made it clear that it was not making any remarks against the officer, who has been charge sheeted by Tamil Nadu for joining CBI on central deputation without being relieved.

Ramasundaram had served in the CBI as Deputy Inspector General and later as its first woman Joint Director and handled various cases pertaining to Economic Offences between 1999 and 2006.

The petition filed by journalist Vineet Narain had submitted that her appointment was arbitrary as an apex court's verdict was disregarded.

The PIL filed against Ramasundaram against her joining CBI has nothing to do with her merit as an officer and its adjudication is confined to the procedure adopted by the Centre on her appointment, the court had said.