R. Sreelekha (born 25 December 1960) is a former police officer in the

Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...

and

right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

politician who was the first Lady Officer of the IPS from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Sreelekha is also an author and now running a successful YouTube channel- “''Sasneham Sreelekha''” ''(With Love, Sreelekha)'' to share her experiences as a police officer. She has also served as managing director for public sector organisations in Kerala. During her tenure in the CBI, she earned the nickname of 'Raid Sreelekha'.

Early life and family

Sreelekha was born on the

Christmas day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

of 1960, as one of the daughters of Prof. N. Velayudhan Nair and B. Radhamma. Sreelekha's father Prof. N. Velayudhan Nair had fought the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a soldier in the Indian Army, on the side of the Allied Forces. Sreelekha is married to Dr. Sethunath, Prof. Paediatric Surgery, Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram and has one son, Gokul.

Education

Sreelekha completed her schooling from

Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill is a school for girls located in Vazhuthacaud in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. Campus GGHSS Cotton Hill has a total area of 9 acres of wood ...

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

where she was involved in various activities like music, drama, NCC and NSS. She then went on to complete her bachelor's degree in English Literature at the

Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram is a public college situated in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Established in 1864 by Ayilyam Thirunal, the Maharaja of Travancore, it is one of the oldest women's colleges in Kerala. Initi ...

. She then did her master's at the Institute of English in the

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...

. In 2005, while in service, she obtained an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

Human Resource Management Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the effective and efficient management of people in a company or organization such that they help their business gain a competitive advantage. It is designed to maximize e ...

from

IGNOU Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a public open & distance learning university located in Delhi, India. Named after the former prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 20 ...

. She was awarded the prestigious

Chevening Fellowship Chevening House () is a large country house in the parish of Chevening in Kent, England. Built between 1617 and 1630 to a design reputedly by Inigo Jones and greatly extended after 1717, it is a Grade I listed building. The surrounding gardens, ...

by the

Government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

and she undertook the fellowship studies in

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

Sciences Po Paris Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

offices in

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and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

from September to December 2015. She also attended the Mid-Career Training Program at the

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degree, Master's degrees in management and finance, Master of B ...

and Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) in 2013.

Career

Early career Prior to joining the police service, Sreelekha, worked as a lecturer at the Shree Vidyadhiraja College. She also worked for the

Reserve Bank of India Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...

, as a Grade B Officer and was posted as a Statistical Officer in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. Indian Police Service In January 1987, at the age of 26, Sreelekha became the first woman IPS officer in Kerala Cadre. After joining the police service, she has served as District Superintendent of Police in 3 districts,

Alappuzha Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

and

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

. Sreelekha also worked with the

Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic crime investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and gover ...

for 4 years as

Superintendent of Police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territori ...

in Kerala and DIG in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. She was promoted to Deputy Inspector General of the

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

Range. In 2005, Sreelekha was posted as the Managing Director of the Kerala State Co-operative Rubber Marketing Federation. In June 2007, she was posted as the Managing Director of the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala. Later on, she also served as the Inspector General, Crime Branch. She also served as Addl. DGP, Armed Police Battalions with additional charge for Training. From her posting as ADGP Vigilance, on 15 February 2014, she has been posted as ADGP (Police Home Guards, Community Policing, Gender Justice and Nodal Officer for Nirbhaya). She was the Organising Secretary of the 5th National Conference of Women in Police, organised by the Bureau of Police Research & Development in July 2012, and is also a strong advocate of gender parity in the Kerala Police force. As ADGP, Sreelekha was asked by

Home Minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan to conduct an inquiry into the involvement of Kerala Information Commissioner K. Natarajan, who had allegedly persuaded a Dy.S.P of Police to leave out the name of V. S. Achuthanandan from the list of accused in a land scam case. After completion of investigations, Sreelekha recommended the suspension of the Information Commissioner, upon finding that the official had misused his office. R. Sreelekha as ADGP Vigilance & anti-corruption Bureau, chargesheeted the Disproportionate Asset case against IG Tomin J. Thachankary, accused also in several other cases. As retaliation, Thachankary accused Sreelekha for violating norms in visiting

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

prior to Government Permission. Sreelekha sought permission from the government to file a defamation suit against Tomin J. Thachankary, and obtained the same. As the Transport Commissioner in Kerala, she reduced the road accidents and fatalities substantially through inclusive road safety measures and in 2014, there were 292 less fatalities in Kerala against the statistics in 2013, which was a record achievement in India. The revenue from taxes and penalties reached an all-time high of Rs 3000 crore during her tenure. Motor Vehicle Department became successful in e-governance, Vahan-Sarathy was completed and an android app called 'Smart trace' was made to detect vehicle duplications and digital record of around 98 lakh vehicles in the state. She also conducted Asia's first ever Road Hackathon with assistance from the World Bank, at Technopark where over 300 participants showcased their technological innovations to better road safety in the State. For detecting Praveen Murder case in Kottayam and arresting the then - DySP R Shaji and also for getting lifetime imprisonment for him and his accomplices within 90 days of chargesheeting the case, she was awarded the Government's Meritorious Service Award. She was the officer investigating the Kiliroor sex scandal case, and reported to the CBI court that there was no VIP involved. Thomas Chandy, an MLA and K. P. Mohanan was accused of being linked to the case. However, Sreelekha's deposition to the court was on the basis of the statement from the victim which absolved the two. R.Sreelekha investigated the irregularities in Consumerfed in procuring rice above the market price and for irregularities found in various godowns in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

and

She was the Transport Commissioner of Kerala from July 2013 to September 2015, during which time, road accidents and fatalities were at an all-time low. Asia's first ever road safety Hackathon conducted by her with assistance from World Bank at Technopark Trivandrum was a huge success. As ADGP Crime Records Bureau, she completed the Crime & Criminal Tracking networking system and started an interactive website "THUNA" (The Hand U Need for Assistance) for a public interface with police. As Additional DGP, Intelligence, Kerala from June 2016 to January 2017, her proposal to start a counseling center HATS (Help and Assistance to Tackle Stress) for police officers who are suffering from mental stress, to help those who have personal problems such as addiction, issues with senior officers, family problems, financial problems, suicide tendencies etc. has been approved by the Department. She got promoted to the rank of Director General of Police in September 2017. From January 2017 to June 2019, she worked as the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services in Kerala. She had introduced several positive changes in the 54 prisons in the State which are now referred to as Correctional Centers. From June 2017 to 1 June 2020, she was the head of a newly created post, "Social Policing & Traffic" in Kerala and was stationed at the Kerala State Police Headquarters. She took charge as the DGP heading the

Kerala Fire And Rescue Services The Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, often referred to as ''Kerala Fire Force'', is the service department of the Government of Kerala whose function is to fight fires and provide relief measures in times of calamities and disasters in Kerala. ...

on 1 June 2020, becoming the first 'Woman DGP' of independent charge in Kerala. She retired on 31 December 2020, as the Director General of the

, after completing 33 years and 5 months in the service.

Medals and recognition

* In 2004, as DIG Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Sreelekha was awarded the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service. * In 2013, as ADGP Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Sreelekha was awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service. * In 2006, during her stint as managing director, the Rubber Board won the Thailand Government's Best Exporter of Rubber in Asia award. * Sreelekha was selected for the prestigious Chevening Fellowship by the Government of United Kingdom and she attended the fellowship in London at King's College from September to December 2015. She also attended specialised training at Scotland Yard/metropolitan police of UK. * She won the Indian Overseas Award for Public Service in 2006. * FOKANA award for literary contributions was given to her in 2005. * In 2007, she received the Kerala Government's Meritorious Services Award for detecting the sensational case of the murder of a civilian named Praveen by the then-Deputy Superintendent of Police R Shaji. After the investigation, Shaji was found guilty by the court.

Selected works

Sreelekha has penned and published 9 books. * Cheru marmarangal (2005) * Neerazhikapuram (2006) * Maranna Doothan (2008) * Kuzhaloothukaran (2009) * Lottos Theenikal (2009) * Mansile Mazhavillu (2011) * Niyama samrakshanam Streekalkku- a book on legal awareness to women * Kuttikalum Policum- a book for the children about Police and their activities * Jaagarookan (2013)- Detective novel Publisher DC Books * Thamasoma- Detective series in Kerala Koumudi magazine * "Balipatham", her latest novel depicts the true story of Mahabali, believed to have ruled Kerala eons back & whose return from the netherworld, Onam, the famous state festival is celebrated every year. This nook is published by Mathrubhumi Books on 2.10.2024 She writes regular columns in periodicals and magazines. Her column in Vanitha Magazine, "Marupuram, the Other Side" which is being published now is well appreciated by the readers. Sasneham Sreelekha- YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/channel/UCup0QqQP2A95jqYkzJuuU9w

References

External links

* Interview o
Asianet On Record
* https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213053/http://www.dcbooks.com/jagarookan-released.html * https://www.amazon.in/Books-R-Sreelekha/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A976389031%2Cp_27%3AR%20Sreelekha * http://www.bharatchannels.com/asianet-news-shows-watch-online/sreelekha-ips-transport-commissioner-detective-fiction-released-video_7cf630261.html * http://malayalam.tv.cybernewsblog.com/interview-r-sreelekha-ips-transport-commissioner-in-varthaprabhatham {{DEFAULTSORT:Sreelekha, R. 1960 births Living people People from Thiruvananthapuram University of Kerala alumni Articles created or expanded during Women's History Month (India) - 2014 Indian women police officers Women from Kerala Indian civil servants Civil servants from Kerala