Amaravati:

The Andhra Pradesh government, on Tuesday, suspended senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and Additional Director General of Police N Sanjay for violation of conduct rules.

The General Administration Department issued an order, placing the former Chief of Crime Investigation Department (CID) under suspension under Rule 3 (1) of All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969.

There were allegations that the 1993-batch IPS officer was involved in certain irregularities while serving as Director General of State Disaster Response and Fire Services.

The IPS officer has been directed not to leave the headquarters.

During the previous regime of the YSR Congress Party, Sanjay as the CID Chief supervised the probe into the cases related to the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation scam and alignment of Amaravati Inner Ring Road against the then Leader of the Opposition and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President, N. Chandrababu Naidu. These cases resulted in the arrest of Naidu who spent nearly two months in jail.

After Chandrababu Naidu assumed office as the Chief Minister in June following the electoral victory of the TDP-led NDA, Sanjay was transferred and asked to report to the office of the DGP.

The new government also ordered the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) Department to investigate the allegations against the IPS officer.

The V&E Department reportedly found that Sanjay misused his official position to facilitate payment of Rs 1 crore to Sautrika Technologies and Infra Private Ltd. without any progress in the assigned work.

The IPS officer allegedly engaged in bid rigging and favouritism while awarding tenders, compromising the integrity of the process and betraying the public trust.

The Vigilance report recommended the government to take criminal action against the company and impose appropriate legal measures on Sanjay under the Central Services Conduct Rules.

The TDP-led coalition government had transferred senior IPS officers, including DGP-rank officials P. S. R. Anjanyeulu and P. V. Sunil Kumar, Additional DGP N. Sanjay, IGPs Kanthi Rana Tata, G. Pala Raju and K. Raghuram Reddy and DIG-rank officials R. N. Ammi Reddy, Ch. Vijaya Rao and Vishal Gunni.

These officials were transferred either by the Election Commission of India during the poll process by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led alliance government after coming to power in June. They were not given postings and were directed to report to the office of DGP.

Some of these officers faced allegations of targeting TDP leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu during the YSR Congress party’s rule.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy got relief from the Karnataka High Court in connection with the FIR registered against him based on the complaint by Lokayukta SIT ADGP M Chandrashekar.

The High Court bench passed the order on Wednesday while looking into the petition by Kumaraswamy seeking quashing of the FIR. ADGP Chandrashekhar has registered the complaint against Union Minister Kumaraswamy at Bengaluru’s Sanjaynagar Police Station.

The High Court has ordered that no coercive action be taken against him and granted him interim relief.

Senior counsel Hashmat Pasha, appearing for Kumaraswamy, argued that the police are attempting to cancel a 10-year-old anticipatory bail by reviving the case.

The High Court ruled that the FIR cannot be used to revoke old anticipatory bail. Additionally, the High Court recorded a statement from the State Public Prosecutor (SPP) that no coercive measures would be taken against Kumaraswamy in this matter.

Karnataka Police had registered an FIR against Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday as per the directions of a court.

Senior IPS officer Chandrashekar had accused Kumaraswamy of defaming and threatening him and his family.

Sanjaynagar police in Bengaluru had registered the FIR against Kumaraswamy.

The FIR is registered under Section 224 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

The police have named Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy as the second accused in the case.

C B Suresh Babu, the JD-S party floor leader in the Legislative Assembly is named as the third accused in the case.

The police had taken a non-cognisable miscellaneous case.

Chandrashekar had approached the court demanding registration of an FIR against Kumaraswamy.

Chandrashekar, in his complaint to the court, had alleged that he had been heading the SIT team probing a case of illegal mining in 2014 – case no. 16/2014 and after getting additional evidence in the case, the investigating team had sought sanction of prosecution from the Governor recently.

In response to this, HD Kumaraswamy held a press conference on September 28 and 29 – where the minister made malicious accusations, threatening the IPS officer and his family members.

The IPS officer, in his complaint to the court, alleged that Kumaraswamy orally threatened him that he would be shunted to another state cadre and also made ill-intended allegations against his family members.

In reply to the charges, Chandrashekar wrote a letter to his staff and refuted all allegations calling it false and malicious.

Chandrashekar concluded his letter by quoting George Bernard Shaw’s famous lines, “Never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

Kumaraswamy expressed outrage on Tuesday, calling the FIR filed against him based on a complaint by a senior IPS officer, Lokayukta SIT chief, M. Chandrashekar as “ridiculous and malicious.”

Kumaraswamy responded to media questions, saying, “During this by-election, the Congress-led state government is targeting us out of sheer animosity. I will respond to this through the judiciary.”

“I have read the FIR and the complaint’s content. It is completely ridiculous and clearly malicious. The complainant has stated that I allegedly made accusations against him in a press conference and has asked for action. Did I provide false information about him? He can review my press conference video if he wants,” said the Union Minister.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amaravati:

The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday issued separate orders suspending three senior IPS officers, including a DG rank, for their alleged involvement in “hastily arresting” and “harassing” a Mumbai-based actor-cum-model without proper investigation in a case filed against her.

Former intelligence chief P Sitharama Anjaneyulu (DG rank), former Vijayawada Police Commissioner Kranti Rana Tata (IG rank) and Vishal Gunni (SP rank), then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Vijayawada) were suspended after an inquiry revealing their role in the alleged harassment of the model.

She accused the police officials of threatening her with dire consequences during the previous government if she did not withdraw a case she earlier filed against a top executive of a corporation in Mumbai.

“The government, after careful consideration of the report and having due regard to the circumstances of the case, came to a conclusion that there is prima facie evidence and that the disciplinary proceedings are warranted for his grave misconduct and dereliction of duty and therefore, consider it necessary to initiate disciplinary proceedings and to place Sri P Sitharama Anjaneyulu, IPS (1992), under suspension,” said one of the GOs.

The model was arrested earlier this year during the previous regime based on a complaint by a YSR Congress leader who accused her of cheating.

The then intelligence chief, instructed the two other officials to arrest her, although no crime registered against her as of that date.

According to the GO, as per the records, the FIR was registered against the model on February 2 at 6.30AM, whereas Anjaneyulu passed on instructions to Kanthi Rana Tata and Vishal Gunni on January 31 well before registering the FIR.

She recently lodged a complaint against some police officials alleging that a false case was foisted against her and that she was subjected to harassment.

Based on her complaint with AP police, the state government suspended two officials.

The three officials were among those 16 IPS officers who were issued a memo directing them to mark their ‘attendance’ in DGP’s office twice a day, without any post.

During the assembly poll campaign in April, the TDP pointing fingers at Anjaneyulu, alleged that the previous YSR Congress government was tapping the phone of its general secretary Nara Lokesh, using Pegasus spy software.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhubaneswar:

The Odisha government on Tuesday suspended senior IPS officer Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao for allegedly misusing his position, an official statement said.

Uttamrao, a 2007-batch IPS officer, was serving as DIG, Fire Services & Home Guards, Odisha.

“A complaint has been received, alleging that Pandit has disgraced the dignity of his position by misusing his power last Saturday (July 27) night,” said the statement issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO).

It was alleged that Pandit misbehaved with a woman police inspector and her husband on July 27. Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said that police action will be taken if any complaint is lodged over the alleged incident.

After returning from his four-day visit to New Delhi on Monday evening, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took immediate action, the CMO statement said.

Majhi ordered the department concerned to immediately suspend the “errant senior police officer and take appropriate action against him”.

“Following his order, the IPS officer has been suspended,” the statement added.

Odisha’s Home Department has issued a notification on the suspension of the senior IPS officer, which said that the Director General of Police (DGP), Odisha has submitted a confidential report against Pandit on the incident that occurred under the jurisdiction of Capital Police station on July 27.

A disciplinary proceeding against Pandit is contemplated on the grounds of grave misconduct as a member of the Indian Police Service (IPS), it said.

“Now, therefore, the Government of Odisha, in exercise of powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, hereby places the said Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, IPS under suspension with immediate effect,” read the notification.

During the period of suspension, the headquarters of Pandit is fixed at the state police headquarters, Odisha, Cuttack and he cannot leave the said headquarters without obtaining the permission of the DGP.

He has been allowed to draw subsistence allowance as admissible to him from time to time as per rules during the period of suspension.

However, such allowance shall not be paid to him unless he furnishes a certificate that he is not engaged in any other employment, business, profession or vocation as required under the said rules.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File picture of former DPIIT secretary Ramesh Abhishek, whose premises have been raided by the Enforcement Directorate
| Photo Credit: Kamal Narang

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of retired IAS officer and former Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Ramesh Abhishek as part of a disproportionate assets linked money laundering probe against him, official sources said.

The ED case stems from a recent CBI FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the 1982-batch officer. He was raided by the CBI in February.

Mr. Abhishek retired in 2019 from the DPIIT (erstwhile Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion).

The ED is searching the premises of Mr. Abhishek as part of a money laundering investigation, the sources said.

The CBI had alleged in its FIR that Mr. Abhishek enriched himself “illicitly” after retirement by receiving “huge amounts” as consultation fee from private companies whose matters he had dealt while in service.

The CBI and ED have also booked his daughter Vanessa.

The retired officer also held the post of chairman, Forward Markets Commission, and the CBI case was booked against him on a reference from anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal.

The Lokpal has alleged that the father-daughter duo received big amounts as professional fee from various entities and organisations with whom the former IAS officer had official dealings as the secretary or the chairman.