NANDAKUMAR T P Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Sri. Gracious Kuriakose, the learned senior counsel for the petitioner. Sri. N. Nagaresh, the learned Assistant Solicitor General of India appears for the 1st respondent. Sri. Sasthamangalam S. Ajith Kumar, the Special Public Prosecutor, CBI, appears for the 2nd respondent. The 4th respondent is represented by Dr. K.P. Satheesan, the learned senior counsel.

(2.) The petitioner, who claims to be a social activist and journalist, has filed this case to challenge the selection of the 4th respondent Sri. Nandakumaran Nair, for the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service. The names of the similarly selected officers find place in the Ext.P6, which was notified on the Independence Day - 2017, but the present challenge against the said selection is surprisingly made much later, in April, 2018.

(3.) The senior counsel for the petitioner refers to the Ext.P7 Guideline to project that the Recommending authority, while making recommendation for the award of the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service, should bear in mind the seniority of the eligible officers combined with professionalism, and this should be given priority. Moreover the Police Officers not having clean image, should not be recommended.