CHENNAI: Income Tax department continued to probe TN chief secretary P Rama Mohan Rao's alleged links with sand mining baron and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthana member Shekar Reddy on the second day, while the State government removed him from office and appointed Girija Vaidyanathan as the new chief secretary.
Meanwhile, CBI arrested Shekhar Reddy's partners in sand mining-Rathinam and Ramachandran.
Rama Mohan Rao, who is set to retire in September 2017, is being quizzed at his residence in Anna Nagar.
The report filed by I-T department will now decide the fate of the former chief secretary.
Enforcement Directorate sources said that the nature of criminal charges against Rao will be decided after I-T department files the report. Further, if required it will entail investigation by Central government enforcement agencies, they added.
I-T evasion can't be called a criminal offence. "Only if the charges are serious in nature and case is made out by CBI or event the State law enforcement agencies then Enforcement Directorate will enter the investigation," sources added.
I-T department said that the report will be filed within two months.