CAT treats Muthukaruppan's susp'n period as regular service

The officer who was involved in the arrest of DMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, when he was the Commissioner of Police here, today got a reprieve from Chennai Bench of Central Administrative Tribunal, which ordered that his more than four year suspension period shall be treated as regular service.
The CAT Bench comprising Judicial Member K Elango and Administrative Member P Prabhakaran ordered that the four year and four month suspension period of senior IAS officer K Muthukaruppan shall be treated as regular service.
However, the bench refused to quash the suspension itself.
His controversial tenure as Commissioner of Police saw the arrest of Karunanidhi in June, 2001, attacks on mediapersons during a DMK rally on the Marina and law college hostel attack incident.

The Additional Director General of Police rank officer is scheduled to retire from service on 31st of this month.
Muthukaruppan in his application said he was placed under suspension from June 27, 2003 to October 25, 2007, pending departmental proceedings and reinstated in service on October 26, 2007.

In April 2009 he was imposed a minor punishment of censure.
Noting that no order on regularising his suspension period was passed either at the time of his reinstatement or award of censure, Muthukaruppan wanted CAT to set aside the orders.
The bench, while refusing to quash the suspension itself, said the period of suspension should be treated as qualifying service for all purposes, with entitlement of full pay and allowances.