Kerala’s first woman IPS officer, R Sreelekha (64), is frontrunner for Kerala’s Mayor’s post. Sreelekha won from the Sasthamangalam ward in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation in the recently-concluded Kerala local body polls.
If she’s chosen, Sreelekha would become the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) first mayor in the state. Some reports speculate that she could also be considered for the Deputy Mayor’s post.
Who is R Sreelekha?
IPR (retired) R Sreelekha: R Sreelekha is best known as Kerala’s first woman IPS officer. She retired as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala.
Born and brought up in Thiruvananthapuram, Sreelekha became Kerala’s first woman IPS officer in January 1987.
According to news agency PTI, Sreelekha’s career spanned over three decades, in which she headed police units in several districts of Kerala.
She also served in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Kerala Crime Branch, the Vigilance, the Fire Force, the Motor Vehicles Department, and the Prison Department.
In 2017, she was promoted as Director General of Police (DGP), becoming the first woman to be elevated to the rank in Kerala.
She retired in December 2020, concluding a career of over 33 years in public service.
Sreelekha’s awards: She was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service as DIG Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2004.
In 2006, during her stint as managing director, the Rubber Board won the Thailand Government’s Best Exporter of Rubber in Asia award.
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.
R Sreelekha’s education: As per Nanma Maram Global Foundation, Sreelekha completed MBA in Human Resource Management from IGNOU, where she grabbed the prestigious award for Chevening Fellowship by the Government of United Kingdom.
She undertook the fellowship studies in King’s College, London, Science Po, Paris, and Edinburgh University.
She is also an author and now running a successful YouTube channel- “Sasneham Sreelekha” (with Love, Sreelekha) to share her experiences as a police officer, motivational speaker, author and environmental conservationist.
She has penned and published 9 books. She writes regular columns in periodicals and magazines. Her column in Vanitha Magazine, “Marupuram, the Other Side,” is appreciated by the readers.
R Sreelekha’s political career: Sreelekha joined the BJP in 2024, citing a desire to contribute to governance and public service. She became a candidate for the BJP for the 2025 Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections.
Sreelekha has been in the news even after her retirement, particularly for her remarks claiming that actor Dileep was falsely implicated in the 2017 actress sexual assault case.
More recently, she courted controversy by questioning the delay in filing a sexual harassment complaint against expelled Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil.
Sreelekha joined the BJP in October 2024, saying that she was influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She also said that, after taking the oath as a police officer, she never had any political thoughts and had worked without any political bias.
