TN Govt denies sacking of Premkumar

Chennai, Apr 15 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Government today denied sacking of Superintendent of Police K Premkumar, who had arrested Kanchi Acharya in connection with a murder case in November 2004.

''I officially deny it. It's incorrect,'' State Home Secretary S Malathi said when contacted by UNI tonight.

Mr Premkumar hit the headlines when he arrested Senior Kanchi Acharya Jayendra Saraswathi in connection with the murder of Lord Varadharajaperumal Temple Manager Sankararaman at Mahboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh on November 11, 2004.

He also drew flak from certain quarters for seeking the blessings of the God by placing the copies of the Chargesheet before filing it before the Kancheepuram JM-I Court.

Meanwhile, Mr Premkumar was placed under suspension for allegedly trying to influence some of the witnesses in the Sankararaman murder case.

He was also convicted by the Additional District and Sessions Judge in Madurai on July 11, 2003 for attacking an ex-serviceman during the course of an inquiry in 1982. However, the court released him without imposing any punishment under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958.

Mr Premkumar was said to be involved in other cases also and the state government had on September last issued a show cause notice asking him why he should not be removed from police service in the wake of his conviction.

UNI