->Rajasekhar1961 at 05:44, 23 November 2021

2021-11-23T05:44:04Z

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{{short description|Indian police officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Archana Ramasundaram
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1957|10|01}}
| birth_place =
| education =
| alma_mater = [[University of Rajasthan]], [[University of Southern California]]
| occupation = [[police officer]]
| known_for = First female chief to head a paramilitary force
| spouse = Ramasundaram
| relatives = [[Charubala Tondaiman]] (sister-in-law)
}}
[[File:Archana Ramasundaram, at the launch of the SSB’s Intensive Refresher Training Programme for Border Out Posts, in New Delhi (cropped).jpg|thumb|Archana Ramasundaram, at the launch of the SSB’s Intensive Refresher Training Programme for Border Out Posts, in New Delhi (cropped)]]
'''Archana Ramasundaram''' (born 1 October 1957) also spelt as '''Archana Ramasundram''' is a retired Indian police officer who was a member of [[Tamil Nadu Police]]. She served in the [[Indian Police Service]] (IPS) for 37 years until her retirement in 2018 and was notably the first woman police officer of India to lead a central paramilitary force.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/leadership-is-more-important-than-gender-archana-ramasundaram-director-general-sashastra-seema-bal/articleshow/50842713.cms?from=mdr|title=Leadership is more important than gender: Archana Ramasundaram, Director General Sashastra Seema Bal|last=Tripathi|first=Rahul|date=2016-02-04|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> Her husband Ramasundaram served as a senior state IAS officer in the state of [[Tamil Nadu]] until 2011.

== Career ==
She pursued her career as a police officer after her graduation in [[Economics]] from the [[University of Rajasthan]]. She joined the Indian Police Service in 1980 and was the only woman officer in the 1980 batch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vervemagazine.in/people/verve-power-women-2016-archana-ramasundaram|title=Power Trendsetter: Archana Ramasundaram|date=2016-07-07|website=Verve Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> In 1989, she completed her [[Master of Science]] in [[Criminology]] from the [[University of Southern California]]. In 1995, she was awarded the President's Medal.

In May 2014, she joined the CBI as additional director and was the first woman officer in India to be inducted as an additional director in the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/archana-ramasundaram-is-right-material-to-become-cbi-director-rk-raghavan/article6001308.ece|title=Archana Ramasundaram is right material to become CBI director: RK Raghavan|last=Bhagat|first=Rasheeda|work=The Hindu Business Line}}</ref> Her appointment was legally challenged by the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]] at the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] considering it as an illegal appointment and the Supreme Court gave verdict against the appointment of Archana.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.india.com/news/india/supreme-court-ips-officer-archana-ramasundarams-appointment-to-cbi-post-flawed-and-illegal-123337/|title=Supreme Court: IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram’s appointment to CBI post flawed and illegal|last=Service|first=Indo-Asian News|date=2014-08-20|website=India.com|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/supreme-court-asks-centre-whether-archana-ramasundaram-can-join-cbi-as-additional-director/articleshow/49338963.cms?from=mdr|title=Supreme Court asks Centre whether Archana Ramasundaram can join CBI as Additional Director|date=2015-10-13|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/south/cbi-vs-jayalalithaa-over-top-woman-cop-supreme-court-intervenes-560899|title=CBI vs Jayalalithaa Over Top Woman Cop, Supreme Court Intervenes|website=NDTV.com|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> She was also suspended from the post of DGP by the Tamil Nadu government for not requesting permission prior to the appointment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/rasheeda-bhagat/the-curious-case-of-archana-ramasundaram/article20770002.ece1|title=The curious case of Archana Ramasundaram|last=BHAGAT|first=RASHEEDA|website=@businessline|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>

In 2015, she was sacked from the CBI and was appointed as the Director General of the [[National Crime Records Bureau]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/archana-ramasundaram-out-of-cbi-appointed-director-of-national-crime-records-bureau/articleshow/47704533.cms?from=mdr|title=Archana Ramasundaram out of CBI, appointed Director of National Crime Records Bureau|date=2015-06-17|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> However she was nominated for the position of CBI chief in 2017 despite her controversial selection into the CBI in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-controversy-central-bureau-of-investigation-cbi-could-get-first-woman-chief-key-meeting-today-1649298|title=After Controversy, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Could Get First Woman Chief. Key Meeting Today|website=NDTV.com|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/160117/archana-ramasundaram-may-become-first-woman-cbi-chief.html|title=Archana Ramasundaram may become first woman CBI chief|date=2017-01-16|website=The Asian Age|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>

On 3 February 2016, she was appointed as the Director General of [[Sashastra Seema Bal]] and was the first woman police officer to be officially appointed to lead a paramilitary force.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/senior-ips-officer-archana-ramasundaram-is-sashastra-seema-bal-ssb-chief/article8180048.ece|title=Archana Ramasundaram is SSB chief|last=Bureau|first=National|date=2016-02-02|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-11-26|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/i-was-appointed-because-of-my-seniority-says-ssb-chief/article8189680.ece|title=I was appointed because of my seniority, says SSB chief|last=Singh|first=Vijaita|date=2016-02-04|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-11-26|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/163065/ips-hero-woman-paramilitary-india-news/|title=Meet the IPS Officer Who Made History as India's First Woman to Head a Paramilitary Force!|date=2018-10-27|website=The Better India|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> In July 2018, Archana was replaced by Rajni Kant Mishra as the new Director General of Sashatra Seema Bal division.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/rajni-kant-mishra-takes-charge-as-ssb-dg/articleshow/60894141.cms|title=First ever woman chief of SSB retires; Rajni Kant Mishra takes charge|date=2018-07-14|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> Archana retired from the IPS in 2018, a career which spanned for 37 years.

== See also ==
* [[List of people from Tamil Nadu]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramasundaram, Archana}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian women police officers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian people]]
[[Category:People from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:University of Rajasthan alumni]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]

Archana Ramasundaram - Revision history

->Rajasekhar1961 at 05:44, 23 November 2021