Pon Manickavel moves plea seeking extension of tenure

CHENNAI: Even as the Madras High Court has sought details on the number of charge sheets filed by special officer Pon Manickavel heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to detect idol theft cases, the High Court appointed officer has moved a plea seeking to extend his one-year tenure which comes to end on November 30 to complete the task entrusted to him.

Pon Manickavel in his affidavit seeking extension had submitted that the Tamil Nadu government unable to reconcile to the fact that the court had ordered him to head a SIT to investigate the idol theft cases had created several impediments in his effective functioning. Except me all the other 202 men and officers are under the control of the State government and the Director General

of Police (DGP) that the then DIG prevailed upon most officers working in the SIT to revolt against him. This had resulted in as many as 66 officers moving the Supreme Court through special leave petitions seeking to quash his appointment, he said. Also noting that following this as many as 116 men including the 66 officers were repatriated and a new team with 85 officers and 108 men started functioning as a unit only from May 2019, Pon Manickavel said along with this the government meddling with the functioning of the SIT through the then DGP and present ADGP (Idol wing) Abhay Kumar Singh had virtually prevented SIT from performing the work assigned to him within the period mentioned. Hence it is necessary that those who were involved in sabotaging the functioning of the SIT are punished and SIT permitted to continue its work by extending its tenure, he added.

Pon Manickavel submitted that TN govt unable to reconcile to the fact that HC had ordered him to head a SIT to investigate idol theft cases had created impediments in his effective functioning