Reverted to PSI rank until completely exonerated or acquitted
PANAJI
More than six months after directions from the High Court of Bombay at Goa, the Goa Police has demoted six officiating/ad-hoc Police Inspectors (PIs) facing criminal cases, reverting them to their substantive rank of Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) until they are completely exonerated or acquitted.
The officers reverted to PSI rank are Terence Vaz, currently posted at GRP ‘A’ Coy, Altinho; Sandhya Gupta (Crime Branch); Sunil Gudlar (under suspension); Vilesh Durbhatkar (GRP ‘B’ Coy, Altinho); Sushant Gawas (SPCR, Panaji); and Rahul Dhamsekar (Traffic Cell, Dabolim Airport).
“On recommendation of the Police Establishment Board and consequent to the judgments of the High Court of Bombay at Goa and on opinion of Advocate General, since the ....officiating/ ad-hoc PIs are not completely exonerated/ acquitted from the criminal cases, .... are hereby reverted to their substantive posts, i.e. PSI with immediate effect and their recommendation for promotion to the PI on regular basis is kept in sealed cover till they are completely exonerated/ acquitted from criminal cases,” reads the order issued from the Office of the Director General of Police.
The demotions follow a writ petition filed last year by PSI Anand Narvekar, who challenged the non-consideration of his promotion solely on the ground that a criminal case was pending against him. Narvekar had pointed out that in 2022, the DGP had promoted four PSIs to the post of PI with a specific clause stating that the promotions would be subject to the final outcome of the criminal cases registered against them, and that they would be reverted in case of conviction.
While hearing the matter, the High Court observed that promoting officers during the pendency of criminal proceedings, particularly in the police force, was not an approach to be appreciated. In July 2025, the Court directed the opening of the sealed cover pertaining to Narvekar and held that if he was found suitable for promotion, he should be granted promotion on an officiating basis on par with other PSIs who had been promoted despite pending criminal cases.
The department had stated that the six PIs facing criminal cases had been promoted “until further orders”. In the current order, the Goa Police said they reviewed the matter in accordance with existing rules and guidelines, which ultimately resulted in the demotion of the six officers.
PI Gupta, whose service record has previously attracted controversy among others. In 2023, questions were raised when, in a rape offence, Gupta allegedly turned away a rape survivor on the pretext of taking her complaint after her examinations. The handling of the matter reportedly led to confusion among three police stations, resulting in a show-cause notice to others, while she was only transferred.
Gupta’s earlier career also included her dismissal from service on October 10, 2007, by then DGP B S Brar for allegedly demanding a bribe in an NDPS case. The dismissal followed an Anti-Corruption Bureau trap in which a constable was caught accepting a bribe allegedly on her behalf. She was reinstated after approaching the High Court.
Another officer, PI Gudlar, was arrested on April 21, 2025, in an alleged Rs 2 lakh bribery case. Four years back, he was acquitted in another case of corruption involving an alleged Israeli drug dealer.
