TN Police Inspector Files Formal Complaint Against Illegal Orderly System
A serving police inspector from Cuddalore district has submitted a formal complaint to the Madras High Court registrar general, alleging that the controversial orderly system continues to operate illegally across Tamil Nadu despite being officially banned by the high court in 2022. The complaint highlights systemic failures in implementing judicial directives aimed at eradicating this colonial-era practice.
Persistent Violation of Judicial Orders
Inspector P Jayasankar of Sethiyathope police station in Cuddalore district detailed in his January 2 complaint that despite the state government issuing orders to form district-level committees headed by collectors to eliminate the orderly system, and despite an interim directive from the Director General of Police to relieve policemen being used as orderlies, the practice has continued without any meaningful reduction. The inspector specifically noted that the Director General of Police filed what he called a false certification before the high court on December 19, 2025, claiming that no police personnel were serving as orderlies within the Tamil Nadu police department.
Specific Cases of Orderly Misuse
Jayasankar, who has served in the Tamil Nadu police department since April 1999, provided detailed examples to substantiate his allegations. He referenced the 2022 Madras High Court order that explicitly directed the abolition of the orderly system, yet noted that senior officers continue to deploy constables for personal domestic work including cooking, gardening, driving family members in government vehicles, cleaning residences, and even providing childcare at officers' private homes and farmhouses.
The complaint cited a particularly tragic incident involving Constable Tamilkudimagan, who was allegedly on orderly duty as a driver to a then Superintendent of Police in Ooty. On July 8, 2024, while driving the officer's wife to Coimbatore airport in a government vehicle, the constable met with a fatal accident on the Ooty-Mettupalayam road that claimed his life along with another rider.
Systemic Issues and Intimidation Tactics
Further evidence presented in the complaint includes the case of Police Head Constable K Ashok, who was officially posted to Sethiyathope police station on November 30, 2024, but never reported for duty there. Instead, according to Jayasankar, Ashok worked as an orderly to a Director General of Police without any official transfer order, with his duty roster simply indicating he was on "other duty at DGP."
Jayasankar also alleged that senior officers use disciplinary action as a threat to prevent subordinates from filing complaints about the orderly system. He revealed that he had previously filed corruption complaints against senior officers with both the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption and the Director General of Police, but received no substantive response or action on those matters.
Unanswered Questions and Official Silence
Attempts to reach Inspector Jayasankar for additional comments were unsuccessful, as both his personal and government-issued phones rang without response. Similarly, DGP (Law and Order) K Venkatraman was unavailable for comment regarding the serious allegations raised in the formal complaint. The situation highlights ongoing challenges in police reform and accountability within the state's law enforcement system.
