VIJAYAWADA: Senior IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao, whose transfer from the post of the Intelligence DG by the Election Commission (EC) sparked a row between the State government and the poll body, was on Monday appointed as the new chief of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Chief Secretary LV Subramanyam issued a GO posting the 1989-batch IPS officer as ACB DG in the afternoon. Venkateswara Rao had been shifted to the police headquarters after the EC removed him as the Intelligence chief in the wake of complaints by the YSRC that he was biased towards the TDP. The Chief Secretary said the EC had given its nod to Venkateswara Rao’s appointment.
It is learnt that the proposal to appoint him as ACB DG was made in the morning and the permission of the poll body was taken before the GO was issued. The sudden development has sent ripples in the police department with some senior officers raising eyebrows and wondering how could the EC give its approval after it found merit in the complaints against the officer. Citing the controversial I-T raids on politicians, they expressed concern that an officer, found to have been favouring a particular party, might not be the best choice to head the ACB.
The removal of Venkateswara Rao as Intelligence DG set in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to the sacking of the then chief secretary Punetha and the appointment of LV Subramanyam in his place. Punetha had issued a GO nullifying the EC orders and subsequently, the State government moved the High Court too challenging the EC directive. But with the court refusing to interfere, the government was forced to comply with the EC orders. The EC removed Punetha and appointed LV.
As far as the ACB is concerned, RP Thakur had been its chief before being elevated as the DGP. He continued to hold additional charge of the ACB till recently. Amid the controversy over Venkateswara Rao’s transfer, the State government relieved him of the additional charge and ACB Director Shanka Brata Bagchi was given full additional charge though he was an IG rank officer.