He said the affected officers, many of whom are over 50 years old, are facing severe financial and psychological distress.
Published Jul 20, 2025 | 12:16 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2025 | 12:16 PM
YSRCP MP Maddila Gurumoorthy.
Synopsis: YSRCP Maddila Gurumoorthy wrote to the President, prime minister and Union home minister to highlight the plight of 199 senior police officers in Andhra Pradesh. He said these officers have allegedly been subjected to arbitrary treatment, including denial of postings and salaries, since June 2024
Writing to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among others, YSRCP MP Maddila Gurumoorthy brought to their notice what he describes as an “unprecedented and deeply disturbing” situation affecting 199 senior police officers in Andhra Pradesh.
The officers, including members of the Indian Police Service (IPS) and state police ranks, have allegedly been subjected to arbitrary treatment, including denial of postings and salaries since June 2024, in violation of their constitutional rights and established service norms.
In a post on X on Saturday, 19 July, the Tirupati MP posted copies of his letters with a graphic description of the plight of the officers under the present dispensation.
According to him, they include four IPS officers, four non-cadre Superintendents of Police (SPs), one Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP) Commandant, 27 Additional SPs, 42 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) from Civil and APSP cadres, and 119 Civil Police Inspectors.
He said these officers have been placed in the Vacancy Reserve (VR) and have been attached to the Director General of Police (DGP) Office in Mangalagiri without formal responsibilities.
They are required to sign the attendance register twice daily while residing in rented accommodations in Amaravati at their own expense. They have not received salaries for over 12 months, despite no pending departmental inquiries, disciplinary action, or legal proceedings against them.
The MP alleged that this treatment violates Articles 14 (equality before the law), 16 (equality of opportunity in public employment), and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Indian Constitution, as well as the Supreme Court’s directives in Prakash Singh vs Union of India (2006) 8 SCC 1, which mandate protection of police officers from arbitrary transfers and political interference.
Gurumoorthy focused on the stark disparity in treatment, noting that while police officers in the VR category have been denied salaries, officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Revenue Services, who are waiting for postings, continue to receive their pay. This differential treatment raises serious questions of discrimination and unequal application of the law.
He said the affected officers, many of whom are over 50 years old, are facing severe financial and psychological distress.
“They have been unable to pay for their children’s education, meet medical expenses for themselves or elderly parents, or fulfil family obligations. The denial of House Rent Allowance (HRA) has exacerbated their plight, with some facing eviction from rented accommodations. For officers nearing retirement, the situation is particularly dire, as contributions to their pension funds have been halted,” he said.
He noted that, in some cases, officers were given postings only on their last day of service, leaving them without salaries or retirement benefits for the preceding year.
He said many of them are being unofficially deployed for “bandobast” duties during political meetings, VIP movements, and religious gatherings without formal orders, vehicles, or allowances. These officers, in uniform, are forced to travel via public transport, which the MP described as “humiliating and degrading”.
Such deployments, carried out without official sanction, further underscore the arbitrary nature of their treatment.
In a particularly contentious point, Gurumoorthy criticised the Andhra Pradesh government’s request to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for the deputation of All India Services officers from other states, citing a shortage of personnel to manage governance and law and order.
The MP called this move “contradictory and paradoxical,” given the presence of 199 trained and experienced officers who remain idle. He argued that this reflects “political vindictiveness, wasteful expenditure of public money, and disregard for judicial guidelines and constitutional protections”.
Gurumoorthy said he had first raised the issue in Parliament during the Zero Hour on 12 March 2025, but no resolution has been forthcoming.
The issue gained further traction following a Starred Question raised by YSRCP MLC Paruchuri Ashok Babu on 13 March 2025 in the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Council. The Principal Secretary, Home (Services-I), confirmed that 199 officers have been in the VR category since June 2024, providing official acknowledgement of the situation.
The MP urged immediate intervention by the President and the prime minister to address what he termed a “grave violation of fundamental rights” and a breach of “constitutional morality and institutional integrity.”
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
