Retired Kerala DGP Tomin Thachankary fined ₹250 for displaying three-star insignia on private car after retirement; civil society demands far stronger action
A retired senior Indian Police Service officer in Kerala has been penalised by the state’s Motor Vehicles Department for allegedly misusing the official insignia associated with serving DGP-rank officers on his private vehicle — more than two years after hanging up his uniform.
The officer, Tomin Thachankary, a 1987-batch IPS officer of the Kerala cadre who retired on July 31, 2023, at the rank of Director General of Police after a 36-year career, was found displaying the three-star insignia of a serving DGP on his personal car and was accordingly fined ₹250 for unauthorised use of an official board or insignia on a private vehicle.
The fine, however, has provoked sharp criticism from sections of civil society and legal activists, who argue that the penalty is woefully inadequate given the gravity of the alleged violation — and that the matter warrants significantly stronger legal action.
Violation detected at a vigilance court
The episode came to light in circumstances that added a layer of irony to an already notable incident. Thachankary had arrived at a vigilance court in Kottayam in connection with ongoing legal proceedings related to an alleged illegal wealth accumulation case against him — a disproportionate assets matter that has been the subject of judicial scrutiny.
It was during this visit that authorities observed the three-star insignia, exclusive to officers of DGP rank currently in active service, affixed to his personal vehicle. The Motor Vehicles Department subsequently imposed the ₹250 penalty for the violation.
Critics call the fine a slap on the wrist
The nominal penalty has drawn immediate and pointed criticism. Activist and lawyer Kulathoor Jaisingh has formally approached the state Home Secretary, filing a petition demanding stringent action against the former officer.
In his submission, Jaisingh argued that the display of official insignia by a retired officer who no longer holds the associated rank could amount to impersonation — a far more serious legal category than a routine motor vehicle violation — and called for appropriate criminal proceedings to be initiated. He further alleged that there may be deliberate attempts to shield the retired officer from the more consequential legal consequences that the alleged conduct could attract.
Earlier reports had already indicated that a formal police case might be registered against Thachankary following a preliminary inquiry that suggested he had continued to display official insignia unlawfully after his retirement. Under Indian law, the use of official symbols, rank insignia, or authority markers by individuals no longer in active service can constitute a violation of service conduct rules and, depending on the intent and circumstances, may attract charges relating to impersonation or misuse of authority — offences that carry penalties considerably more severe than a token fine.
A career defined by controversy
Tomin Thachankary is among the most recognisable and frequently discussed figures in Kerala’s police establishment, a reputation shaped as much by controversy as by service. Born in Kalayanthani village in Idukki district, he served across a wide range of assignments during his 36-year career — as Police Chief in various districts, as Managing Director of KSRTC, Consumerfed, and the Kerala Books and Publications Society, and as Transport Commissioner, among other positions.
In 2020, despite a career marked by persistent controversy, he was promoted to the DGP rank and served as Investigation Director General of the Human Rights Commission before his retirement.
Throughout his tenure, he remained a figure of considerable public attention — frequently in the news for allegations of misconduct, including undertaking foreign visits without proper official sanction, which led to multiple suspensions and vigilance inquiries. Despite these clouds, he never headed the state police force, though his promotion to the DGP rank in the final years of his service kept him in the upper echelons of the hierarchy.
His retirement in July 2023 was marked by a farewell parade at which he departed from convention in characteristically striking fashion — singing a song that drew on the epic character of Karna as a reflection on what he described as the turbulent arc of his career. After retirement, he announced plans to enter the film industry, intending to produce projects under his company Ryan Studios and to draw on his professional experiences as material for screenplays.
The broader question of post-retirement accountability
The insignia episode has reignited a broader debate about the accountability of senior officers after they leave service. The privileges and symbols associated with high police rank — insignia, protocol, perceived authority — carry significant weight in public life, and their misuse by retired officers, even if technically a motor vehicle offence on the face of it, raises questions that go to the heart of institutional integrity.
Legal experts have noted that administrative penalties such as a ₹250 fine are appropriate only for minor procedural lapses; where the conduct involves deliberate display of rank insignia to which the individual is no longer entitled, the legal framework provides for considerably stronger remedies. Whether those remedies will be invoked in Thachankary’s case — given his ongoing legal troubles in the disproportionate assets matter — is a question that the state government and law enforcement agencies will need to answer with transparency and resolve.
