Kerala State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb IPS is embroiled in a controversy. An additional sub-court in Thiruvananthapuram has conditionally attached a parcel of land belonging to Saheb’s wife. A few severe allegations have arisen against the Director General of Police (DGP) after the court confiscated land in his wife’s name. Is it a plot to tarnish his credibility?
Umar Sherif, a Thiruvananthapuram resident, filed the complaint. Sherif has paid thirty lakh rupees in three instalments to purchase 10.8 cents of land in Peroorkada village (Thiruvananthapuram) for Rs 74 lakh. It belonged to Saheb’s wife, Shaik Farida Fathima. Sherif alleged that Saheb refused to refund him the Rs 30 lakh down payment he had paid to purchase the land.
Signed on 23 June 2023, the contract had a two-month duration. The agreement said the land had no liabilities. Two transactions were sent to Fathima’s account after the initial payment of Rs 15 lakhs, totalling 25 lakhs.
Allegedly, Sherif paid an additional Rs 5 lakhs in cash at the DGP’s chamber. This violates the government service rules that state that government offices should not be used for private financial transactions. Can anyone in Bharat legally pay someone an amount of Rs 2 Lakh or more in cash?
Two weeks later, when the DGP asked for an extra Rs 25 lakhs, Sharif asked to see the original documents. An examination at the Althara SBI branch found that the same land had been mortgaged for Rs 26 lakh.
Malayala Manorama reported that Sherif released the contract signed by him and Saheb stating no liabilities. Sherif claims it is evidence of fraud since it concealed the loan liability.
As a result, according to Sherif, he did not want to proceed with the purchase and asked Saheb to return the advance money. But Saheb allegedly turned him down and asked Sherif to wait until he sold the land to someone else. Despite promises, the money was not returned, leading to legal action for non-payment.
Sherif told Manorama News that he informed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office about the issue, but they did not intervene. Vijayan’s Political Secretary, P. Sasi, would not even pick up Sherif’s phone calls. The Chief Minister’s office was busy finalising the files to extend Saheb’s service for another year as DGP, thus extending his service tenure for two years, effective July 2023.
Last week, the Kerala government decided to extend the tenure of the State Police Chief till June 2025. The decision followed a Supreme Court order regarding the tenure of DGPs. The Supreme Court ruled that state police chiefs should be given a two-year tenure.
Saheb explained that Sherif was verbally informed of the loan liability in advance, even if not in the contract. He added that it was agreed that the loan would be settled when Sherif paid him the total amount.
When the DGP was not ready to return the money and the CM’s office abandoned him, Sherif approached the court. The court prohibited any transactions involving the plot of land until the dispute was resolved. Later, the court ordered authorities to seize the 10.8 cents of land (with some conditions) and pay 33 lakh rupees to Sherif.
The court order stated, ” The petitioner has a prima facie case in his favour and that the 1st respondent is about to dispose of the petition schedule property to defeat the decree that may be passed against the respondents. Hence, the respondents are directed to show cause as to why they shall not be ordered to furnish security for the plaint claim. Meanwhile, the petition schedule property is conditionally attached.”
There are serious allegations that the police chief has committed breach of contract, fraud, and violation of service rules, and the Kerala chief minister’s office has covered up the crime.
Saheb is a 1990-batch IPS officer who replaced DGP Anil Kant as Kerala’s police chief in June 2023. The DGP holds a Masters in Agriculture, a Doctorate in Agronomy and an MBA in Finance. He is a native of Hyderabad. Saheb was awarded the President’s Police Medal in 2016 for distinguished service and the Indian Police Medal in 2007 for meritorious service.
Saheb served as Governor’s Aide-De-Camp (ADC) and as part of the United Nation’s mission in Kosovo. He was Assistant Director and Deputy Director at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. He was the IG at SBCID, Police Headquarters, Thiruvananthapuram Range, Thrissur Range and Armed Police Battalion.
