Suspended IPS officer files fresh plea before CAT

Seeking to file a fresh application, suspended IPS officer Satish Kumar Gajbhiye today withdrew his original application filed before the Cuttack bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in November last year challenging his suspension order.
Soon after he was allowed to withdraw the old plea, the 2002-batch officer filed two fresh applications in CAT, which have been listed for preliminary hearing by a division bench on Friday, officials in the Tribunal said.
Not inclined to interfere in the matter during the preliminary hearings of the old application on November 16 and December 22 last year because Gajbhiye's representation was pending before the government, the CAT, however, had given relief to him by directing the government not to take any coercive action against him until the representation was disposed of.

The officer was placed under suspension on August 13 last year while he was officiating as Kendrapara district SP.
The axe fell on him for alleged police excesses on people during a demonstration in the district. It was alleged that Gajbhiye was leading the police atrocities and unleashed a reign of terror on innocent public, including school children.
It was also alleged that the Maharashtra-born IPS officer was giving "undue" protection to a local self-styled godman Sarathi Baba, who was facing public wrath for his alleged offences of cheating and kidnapping.
The 2001-batch IPS officer, who was inducted to Odisha cadre as an outsider SC/ST candidate against the 2002 vacancies, was also facing wraths for allegations of illegal acquisition of government land in the name of his wife and for facing charges of financial irregularities during his tenure as Malkangiri SP in 2008.