IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao suspended again

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh Government has suspended AB Venkateswara Rao, a senior IPS officer yet another time.

Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, on Tuesday, issued orders of suspension. It is known that a case has been registered against AB Venkateswara Rao for purchasing surveillance equipment in violation of Defence Ministry regulations when he was the Additional DG in the Intelligence Department during the then TDP government.

He was suspended on March 7, 2020, with the approval of the Union Home Ministry after YSRCP had come to power. The Supreme Court, which heard a special leave petition filed on the matter concerned, said his suspension ended on February 7 this year and directed to pay the salaries from the same date. However, the court said the investigation into the criminal cases registered against him in the past could continue and his superiors could take appropriate action accordingly.

Following this, the government-appointed AB Venkateswara Rao as the Commissioner of Printing, Stationery, and Stores. Against this background, the Andhra Pradesh government claimed that AB Venkateswara Rao, who is currently the Commissioner of Printing, Stationery, made disparaging remarks against the government and suspended him.

It may be recalled that ABV Rao was reinstated following a Supreme Court order. The government took its own time to implement the order.

Meanwhile, as the news of his suspension broke, Venkateswara stated that he had not received any GO yet and that he learned about it only through media. However, the IPS officer questioned how could he influence the witnesses when there was no charge-sheet filed and fumed at the government for its vengeance.

He pointed out that there were CBI and ED cases pending against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and IAS Srilakshmi and questioned why he had to be blamed. He also sought to whether he had ever remarked at Raj Bhavan that he would topple the government.

The senior IPS officer claimed that he had stopped the violence at the time of the attack on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019 in Visakhapatnam airport and worked as per his conscience. He said that how could the government suspend an officer on the same charges which were dismissed by the High Court and said that he would fight against the government over the orders.