Constabulary Medal for every 10 years of service? Dept not sure

Cops rue long wait even after decade-long ‘spotless’ service, top officer says medal has to be earned

CHENNAI: Every year, the State government announces Constabulary Medals to those in the ranks of Grade-I Constables, Head Constables, and Special Sub-Inspectors of Police (SSI), and havildars in Armed Reserve for reportedly completing 10 years of service without any negative remarks (punishment role [PR] in police terms).

This year too, over 3,000 police personnel from various branches and wings have been shortlisted. The medal beneficiary will be rewarded with Rs 400 additionally every month which will be credited to his/her bank account along with salary. However, many in Greater Chennai Police allege that there are quite a few cops who have completed 15 to 20 years of service without PR but are yet to get the CM’s medal.

“I have completed 23 years in service without any negative remarks, but my name has just been shortlisted. Ideally, I should get two medals for two decades of clean service,” says a traffic constable.

He says the delay in awarding the medal would amount to a loss of due monetary benefits. “Imagine, the medal being denied to 1,000 police personnel who have completed a decade of clean service. The department is saving Rs 4 lakh every month, totalling Rs 48 lakh every year. The actual figures would be more,” he says.

Negative remarks would mean disciplinary action initiated against police personnel for wrongdoing. “Usually, action would be taken under Tamil Nadu Police Subordinate Service (Discipline and Appeal) Rules. Section 3(a) is used for mild allegations, while 3(b) would mean suspension up to a year, “said an officer.

Another constable told DT Next that he has completed 17 years of service, but is yet to get the CM’s medal. “When they announce the medal, I would be eligible for the benefits only from the next month. It is not the monetary factor, it has to be mentioned that discrepancies galore when it comes to selecting police personnel for the medal. A colleague of mine received the medal along with his trainer, while another colleague received the award post-retirement,” he says.

Police personnel also complain that the extra-time remuneration which Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy announced in the Assembly under Rule 110 in 2020 has been implemented only on January 21 this year, that too after the CM made a remark about it during his campaign recently. “Extra time remuneration is given for working on the day off, which should ideally be one-day salary. But it has been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 500, that too nearly a year after the CM made the announcement,” complained a police officer.

However, Inspector General (Administration) Santosh Kumar, when contacted, said not having negative remarks alone does not make a cop eligible for the medal. “Only promotions happen periodically, medals have to be earned. There are criteria under which the medals are awarded and police personnel should have done some extraordinary work to become eligible,” said the official.

But police personnel in the constabulary rank say they have never heard of such a rule and not all police personnel who have been awarded the medal have done exceptional work.