The Andhra Pradesh government had lifted the suspension on senior IPS officer A B Venkateswara Rao on Friday. Chief Secretary K S Jawahar Reddy issued orders lifting the suspension. Jawahar Reddy also issued orders posting Venkateswara Rao as the commissioner of printing and stationary. He is scheduled to retire on Friday evening, hours after his reinstatement.
The government had suspended him on charges of misconduct and misappropriation in purchase of telephone tapping equipment to the state government in the name of his son. It was alleged that Venkateswara Rao had procured the equipment during the TDP regime between 2014 and 2019.
Venkateswara Rao challenged his suspension in the AP high court, which gave the orders in his favour. The State government then went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also gave him orders in his favour. Then the government reinstated him as the commissioner of printing and stationery.
A week later, the state government suspended him on the same charges. He then went to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) which said that the suspension for the second time for the same reasons is not correct. The CAT also directed the state government to reinstate Venkateswara Rao in his position. The state government then went to the high court against the CAT orders. The high court upheld the orders and directed the state to reinstate Venkateswara Rao.
After the court orders, Venkateswara Rao went and met the chief secretary in the Secretariat at Velagapudi and submitted the high court orders. Following this, on Friday, Jawahar Reddy issued orders withdrawing suspension on Venkateswara Rao. He also issued another order posting Venkateswara Rao as the commissioner of printing and stationery.
Venkateswara Rao is retiring in the evening after joining the service. He was on suspension for five years and did not get any posting during the YSR Congress government.
