Getting even? Ex-wife, who is a state energy secy, cuts power to retired DGP’s bungalow

Retired Director General of Police (DGP) Rajesh Das found himself 'powerless' when the electricity to his bungalow in Thaiyur in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu was abruptly cut off on Monday (May 20).

This action was taken at the behest of his ex-wife, Beela Venkatesan, who currently serves as the state's energy secretary.

Das reportedly levelled allegations against his ex-wife of misusing her official position and in his defence said that it is illegal to disconnect electricity to a house where there is an occupant.

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He claimed that there was neither default in payments nor any dues and the incident was merely a "gross abuse of power." However, Venkatesan dismissed these claims.

For her part, the energy secretaryasserted her right to disconnect the power as the service connection was in her name, and the house was built with a joint loan.

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"There was no one in the house for the last three months and I did not want to spend unnecessarily on the electricity bill," she said.

"The occupant was given enough time to provide a document of proof in the absence of which Tangedco personnel have done their duty."

The incident came to light on Sunday (May 19) when two Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) personnel attempted to disconnect the power but left after Das opposed the move.

They returned on Mondaywith a written request from Venkatesan, leading to the disconnection.

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Das contended, “If Tangedco has to disconnect the power supply to the house, they should seek my opinion in writing before carrying out the procedure since I have been staying here. There are no pending dues, nor a court order for disconnection. Even if the landlord wants power supply cut to the premises, Tangedco cannot do so when someone is staying there. But they climbed the pole outside the building and disconnected the power supply. It is a gross abuse of power."

Tangedco officials stated that Das was asked to provide proof of residence or a letter indicating his stay on the premises but he refused. “He did not allow us to disconnect the metre inside the premises, so we had to disconnect the service from the nearby overhead line,” explained one official.

SC stays Das' arrest in sexualharassment case

The retired police officer is no stranger to controversy. A trial court in Villupuram in 2023 convicted Rajesh Das of sexually harassing a female IPS officer who was under his supervision.

Das, in April this year, approached the Madras High Court requesting suspension of his sentence and exemption from surrendering to the trial court.

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“How fair is it for the petitioner to claim a privilege and say that he will not go to prison even for a day? Isn’t it audacious? Everyone is equal before this court. Why should special treatment be given to this petitioner?” the Madras HC had reportedly said. Both requests were denied.

However, on May 17, the Supreme Court granted an interim stay on his arrest while considering his appeal against the High Court's decision.

(With inputs from agencies)