Senior IPS officer A B Venkateswara Rao got great relief in the Andhra Pradesh high court on Thursday. The court dismissed the petition of the state government for review of CAT orders on ABV’s suspension.
Venkateswara Rao is retiring on May 31. He is under suspension now for the past five years. The CAT had recently given orders setting aside the state government’s suspension orders. The CAT said that the officer cannot be suspended for the second time for the same reasons.
There is a huge social media campaign in support of Venkateswara Rao asking the state government to give him appointment at least on the day of his retirement. It is to be seen what decision that the state government would take on his reinstatement on the day of his retirement.
He was kept under suspension on the charges of violation of rules in purchase of equipment for phone tapping during the TDP government between 2014 and 2019. He was the head of the intelligence department during the TDP regime.
It was alleged that Venkateswara Rao violated the rules and procured the phone tapping equipment to watch the mobile phones of the YSR Congress leaders during the TDP regime. The case went to the Central government and then to the AP high court and from there to the Supreme Court.
He was made the commissioner of printing and stationery following the directions from the Supreme Court. But in a few days, he was suspended for the same orders on which he was suspended earlier.
Finally, CAT had given orders setting aside his suspension for the second time on the same orders. However, the state government challenged the CAT orders in the high court. The high court on Thursday dismissed the state government petition and upheld the CAT orders.
The YSR Congress government had been keeping him out of office for the past five years. It was alleged that Venkateswara Rao handled the deal with 23 YSR Congress MLAs on joining the TDP when the TDP was in power in the state. This being the political reason, the government found him responsible for the purchase of telephone tapping equipment.
