iD Team
iD Team
Senior police officer A B Venkateswara Rao put on his uniform on the last day of his service from the department on Friday. He was posted as the commissioner of printing and stationery on the day as he was retiring on the same day.
The state government issued orders lifting suspension on him and posted him as the commissioner of printing and stationery. This was followed by the high court decision rejecting the state government’s appeal against the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) decision in favour of Venkateswara Rao, early this month.
The CAT told the state government that the IPS officer cannot be suspended for a second time on the same charges. He was first suspended in May 2019 on the charges of procuring phone tapping equipment in the name of his son.
Venkateswara Rao challenged the suspension in the AP high court in the same year. He told the court that he did not purchase any equipment for the state government. The high court upheld his statement. The state government then approached the Supreme Court, which also upheld his statement.
Later, the state government appointed Venkateswara Rao as the commissioner of printing and stationery two years ago. However, the government once again suspended him on the same charges. He then approached the CAT, which gave its orders in his favour.
On Friday, the state government issued orders lifting suspension on Venkateswara Rao. Later, it posted him as the commissioner of printing and stationery, hours before his retirement. Rao is retiring this evening.
Venkateswara Rao worked as intelligence chief during the TDP regime between 2016 and 2019. He was considered right hand man of then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He is also accused of playing a key role in the defection of 23 MLAs from the YSR Congress to the TDP in 2016-17.
