The controversy dates back to 2005, when a televised sting operation showed a senior police officer in a compromising situation with a woman. The visuals, broadcast widely by news channels at the time,
triggered a nationwide outcry and raised uncomfortable questions about ethics and accountability within the police force.
The officer at the centre of the storm was PS Natarajan, then Inspector General of Jharkhand Police. What made the episode particularly disturbing was that Natarajan was not an ordinary officer. He had been entrusted with investigating allegations of sexual abuse levelled against another senior official, then DIG Parvez Hayat, by a tribal woman from Jharkhand’s Palamu district.
As the footage aired, concerns went beyond individual misconduct. The focus shifted to the credibility of the justice system itself. The government ordered an immediate inquiry, even as doubts were initially raised about the authenticity of the video. Those questions were soon settled when the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chandigarh confirmed that the footage was genuine. Following the confirmation, Natarajan was suspended from service.
It was one of the rare instances where the police establishment was forced to investigate an officer who had himself been appointed as an investigator in a sensitive sexual abuse case.
The roots of the case lay in a complaint filed months earlier by a tribal woman, Sushma Badaik, who had accused DIG Parvez Hayat of sexual exploitation. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the probe was handed over to an IG-rank officer, Natarajan. However, Sushma later alleged that during the course of the investigation, she was subjected to abuse by Natarajan as well. She claimed he gained her confidence, visited her home, and exploited her repeatedly. She also alleged that her husband, Rajesh, was complicit.
Initially, the allegations were dismissed in some quarters as a personal dispute. That narrative weakened significantly after the sting operation became public. Within the police department too, the case caused deep unease, as questions arose over who could ensure justice if the investigator himself stood accused.
A criminal case was registered against Natarajan under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, given the complainant’s tribal background. Parallel departmental and criminal proceedings followed, turning the case into one of the most closely watched legal battles in the state.
In 2012, the Jharkhand government recommended Natarajan’s dismissal from service to the Centre, an administrative action taken while the criminal trial continued. The case dragged on for over a decade, during which 71 witnesses were examined. The prosecution relied on video evidence, witness testimonies, and circumstantial material.
In 2017, a CBI special court acquitted Natarajan, citing lack of conclusive evidence. The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Despite the acquittal, the dismissal from service was not reversed, and Natarajan never returned to the police force.
The case resurfaced years later in a tragic turn of events. In 2022, Sushma Badaik was shot at in Ranchi and seriously injured. Though the attack was suspected to be linked to the long-pending case and past threats she had reported, investigators said no concrete evidence could establish a direct connection.
