Principal secretary (home) P. Gautam Kumar has decided to take voluntary retirement protesting against the state government challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal’s order setting aside the appointment of V. Dinesh Reddy as DGP in the High Court. He was officially due to retire on October 31 this year.
Sources said that in a 20-page letter to chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi, the senior police official explained that he was applying for VRS in protest.
The senior cop’s move may leave the state government in an embarrassing situation as the appeal is set to come up for hearing in the High Court soon. “This is completely unexpected,” said a senior official. Mr Gautam Kumar, who is considered to be an upright officer, is also known for expressing his views frankly. He has held posts like the director general of vigilance and enforcement and the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. He has also headed the Police Recruitment Board.