AP high court stays CAT order revoking Vishal Gunni suspension

Vijayawada: The high court on Tuesday stayed the orders of the Central Administration Tribunal (CAT) revoking the suspension of IPS officer Vishal Gunni. The court observed that a detailed hearing is necessary in the matter, and the stay will be in force till further orders.The state govt moved the high court challenging the CAT order, which directed to take Vishal back in service and to pay him salary, including all allowances, for the suspension period. Vishal was suspended following a case registered over alleged harassment of a Mumbai-based actress. He was charged with illegal arrest and misuse of power.Arguing on behalf of the state govt, advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas said Vishal went to another state to arrest the actress even before the FIR was registered in the case. Pointing out that it was a serious misconduct, he said police could not proceed further in the investigation as the suspension orders were revoked.Arguing on behalf of Vishal, senior counsel Avinash Desai said the petitioner acted upon the directions of his superiors, and while he consulted the police in another state, he did not participate in the arrest of the actress. Though Vishal was suspended in 2024, no inquiry officer has been appointed till now even though the suspension orders were valid for only one year. He further argued that the CAT revoked the suspension by taking all the issues into account.Considering the submissions on both sides, the high court bench comprising Justices Manavendranath Roy and Tuhin Kumar observed that a detailed hearing is required in the matter and stayed the order of the CAT. The matter was posted for further hearing to Aug 29.