The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday (March 3, 2025) dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the reinstatement of IPS officer Ms. Ilma Afroz (2018-batch IPS officer) as Superintendent of Police (SP) of Baddi in Solan district.
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A division bench comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Sushil Kukreja rejected the plea filed by agriculturist Sucha Ram from Dholowal village. The petitioner had claimed that Ms. Afroz was pressured into taking leave while serving as Baddi SP and that law and order had deteriorated following her transfer. While dismissing the petition, the court ruled that the posting and deployment of officers fall within the government’s prerogative.
The bench also revoked the stay on Ms. Afroz’s transfer, which had been in place since September 9, 2024, when the High Court had directed that she should not be transferred without its permission due to pending investigations in a sexual harassment case in Nalagarh.
Ms. Ilma Afroz is currently posted at the State Police Headquarters in Shimla. She was appointed as Baddi SP on January 27, 2024, but proceeded on a 15-day earned leave on November 7, reportedly following differences with Congress MLA from Doon, Mr. Ram Kumar Chaudhary. Her leave was later extended, and she returned to duty on December 16, 2024. Meanwhile, the charge of Baddi SP was handed over to HPPS officer Mr. Vinod Kumar Dhiman on November 14. However, Mr. Ram Kumar Chaudhary denied any involvement in her leave.
The PIL alleged that law and order in Baddi had worsened after Ms. Afroz’s transfer and accused the police of colluding with local politicians who operate 43 illegal crusher units near the Punjab-Haryana border in Solan district. It claimed that these “mafias” ignored directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the High Court, while the police turned a blind eye.
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