Jailed IPS officer moves court for bail
On behalf of Karim, his counsel R.C. Paul Kanagaraj filed the bail plea before principal sessions court on Monday.
Chennai: IPS officer Safeer Karim, arrested on charge of copying during civil services examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission recently, has approached the principal sessions court seeking bail.
On October 30, the 29-year-old IPS officer was arrested on charge of cheating during the examination using high-tech devices including a micro camera and a small earpiece device difficult to detect.
On behalf of Karim, his counsel R.C. Paul Kanagaraj filed the bail plea before principal sessions court on Monday. In the petition, he stated that he was innocent and police has foisted the case against him with ulterior motive.
Karim said he is a 2015 batch IPS officer and appeared in the civil services examination this year as he was aspiring to get into the Indian Administrative Service. The FIR was registered based on a complaint from headmistress of Presidency Girls Higher secondary School, Egmore stating that he committed malpractice using unauthourised electronic gadgets during General studies paper-I conducted on October 30, 2017.
All candidates were allowed to make entries from 8.30 am and question papers were distributed to candidates at 8.55 am. Meanwhile, Directorate of Government Examination and her secretary came to the examination centre informing that some malpractices likely to happen by using electronic gadgets in hall no. 7.
Karim said that after he was selected for IPS service, he sold his Karim IAS Training Institute at Hyedrabad. There was stiff competition to buy the institute.
Kanagaraj said even assuming that the prosecution case is true and the offence alleged to have been committed, as per UPSC rules he could be punishable only with debarment from appearing in future examination. The counsel pointed out that as per UPSC rules the electronic gadgets like cellular/mobile phone, any other devices are banned inside the examination hall. Any infringement of these instructions shall entail disciplinary action against the candidates concerned including debarment from future examination/selection. Valuables/ costly items and bags are also not allowed inside the examination venue. Karim remains in prison since October 30. Stating that Karim was innocent, Paul Kanagaraj sought bail for the IPS officer. The matter will come up for hearing soon.