In a first-of-its-kind incident in Tamil Nadu, a former IPS officer in Tamil Nadu has been awarded a rigorous imprisonment after he found guilty of sexually harassing a woman police officer. 60-year-old Rajesh Das was a former IPS officer who served as a special Director-General of Police (DGP) and the sexual accusation against him had startled Tamil Nadu. The verdict in the case was pronounced now in which he has been convicted. 

Rajesh Das was accused of sexually harassing a woman IPS officer and the trial against him was on the table for the past two years. He was accused of harassing a woman Superintendent of Police (SP) while on duty in February 2021. The incident had occurred when he and the woman IPS officer were on duty, taking stock of the security arrangements for the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi Palaniswami, during an election campaign. 

In her complaint, the woman IPS officer has alleged that Rajesh Das had sexually harassed her in his vehicle and that the then SP of Chengalpattu D Kannan had blocked her from lodging a complaint against Rajesh Das, under the latter's orders. Following the complaint, Rajesh Das was placed under suspension and a case was booked against him by the CBCID. 

The case was filed under the Indian Penal Code and also under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act. Expressing its shock that a former special DGP had harassed a woman IPS officer and over an attempt to coerce her not to file a complaint, the Madras High Court had in March 2021 said that it would be monitoring the investigation into the case. 

The CBCID had filed a 400-page chargesheet against Rajesh Das in July 2021 and the trial started in the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Villupuram. Over seventy witnesses were examined during the trial. Notably, in April this year, the Madras High Court had dismissed the petition from Rajesh Das in which he sought a directive to recall the complainant back and to cross-examine her.

Months after a legal setback, a verdict in the case has now been pronounced and that Rajesh Das was found guilty of harassing the woman IPS officer. A local court in Villupuram on Friday - June 16 convicted Rajesh Das and awarded him a three-year prison sentence.

Chief Judicial Magistrate M Pushaparani found Rajesh Das guilty and conferred him an incarceration of three years under Section 354 - assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty of the Indian Penal Code. The court has also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000. 

Furthermore, the court had also sentenced him to three years of Rigorous Imprisonment under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002 and imposed Rajesh Das, a fine of Rs 10,000. It has been reported that the sentences would run concurrently. On the other hand, the Chief Judicial Magistrate had also found the then SP of Chengalpattu, D Kannan, guilty of blocking a woman IPS officer from filing a complaint. Kannan was also named in the FIR and he has been slapped a fine of Rs 500.