Jayaram Padikkal

Director General of Police

Jayaram Padikkal IPS was born in Peruvemba village Palghat in Kerala. He joined for MBBS in Grant Medical College Mumbai . Soon, he left when he was selected to the Indian Police Service (IPS). After joining the IPS, he was one of the officers who received training at Scotland Yard, the premiere law enforcement agency of the United Kingdom.

Later he joined the Indian Police Service and was posted in the Kerala Cadre. Jayaram Padikkal was the chief (DIG) of the Crime Branch in Kerala Police during the time of the Naxalite movement, and during the Indira Gandhi imposed national emergency. The Naxalites advocated violence against the State. Padikkal was instrumental in curbing the Naxalite Movement through repressive measures. Padikkal solved a string of high profile murder cases including the Corporation case and the Rajini Case where a little girl was murdered and her body hidden in a well.

However Jayaram Padikkal became notorious after the infamous Rajan case, which was the illegal custody and torture of Rajan, an engineering student from Calicut. Rajan is believed to be tortured to death by Pulikkodan Narayanan (then Sub-Inspector, Perambra Police Station and later retired as Deputy Superintendent of Police), under the orders of this officer. The case led to the resignation of the then Home Minister K. Karunakaran, and also to the suspension and imprisonment of the officers accused in this case.

Due to lack of evidence the charges against Padikkal and his officers could not be proven, and they were acquitted.

Nawab Rajendran a famous social activist who then ran a popular news paper Nawab had got some incriminating evidence on the infamous Thattil John murder case which happened at Thrissur District, Kerala. The evidence would have ruined the political career of K. Karunakaran who is believed to be the master-mind behind the murder. Karunakaran met Jayaram Padikkal and requested Padikkal to save him. Jayaram Padikkal studied Nawab Rajendran's life style and correctly identified that he may give up information under the influence of liquor. Padikkal met up Nawab Rajendran, got him drunk and the incriminating evidence was soon found and destroyed. Jayaram Padikkal how ever was quite repentant on this un-orthodox and un-ethical means of handling Nawab Rajendran and for wilfully destroying the life of a good man.

Padikkal later rose up the ranks to become the Director General of Police (DGP), the highest rank in the force. Jayaram Padikkal died in the year 1997.