VIJAYAWADA: In what could be a major relief to the retired IPS officer and former Intelligence chief AB Venkateswara Rao (ABV), the State government has dropped all the disciplinary proceedings initiated against him during the YSRC regime.
An order in this regard was issued by Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad on Saturday, instructing the Director General of Police (DGP) to take further action.
After the registration of cases against ABV and subsequent departmental action initiated against him, the government on March 13, 2024, urged the Centre to initiate action against him. “While the imposition of penalty as advised by the UPSC is pending to be implemented, ABV attained the age of superannuation on May 31, 2024. The Law Department, quoting the Supreme Court verdicts, has informed that the UPSC recommendations are no longer feasible to apply on retired IPS officers, and these measures become ineffective,” read the GO.
The government is of the opinion that allowing the respondent to proceed further with the departmental proceedings at this distance of time will be very prejudicial to the appellant.
“Keeping a higher government official under charges of corruption and disputed integrity would cause unbearable mental agony and distress to the officer concerned. At this stage, it is necessary to draw the curtain and put an end to the inquiry. The appellant had already suffered enough and more on account of the disciplinary proceedings. As a matter of fact, the mental agony and suffering of the appellant due to the protracted disciplinary proceedings would be much more than the punishment. For the mistakes committed by the department in the procedure of initiating the disciplinary proceedings, the appellant should not be made to suffer,” the GO read.
It may be recalled that the State government withdrew two charge memos issued to ABV last month, giving a major relief to him from appearing before the Commission of Inquiries further.