Justice for ABV
Vijayawada: May 30: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has dismissed the State government’s application seeking to stay the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) orders regarding the reinstatement of suspended IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao. This decision brings relief to ABV, who is set to retire tomorrow (May 31).
AB Venkateswara Rao, formerly serving as the chief of Intelligence was suspended in February 2020 due to alleged irregularities in the procurement of equipment for security operations. His suspension was executed under Rule 3 (1) of the All India Service (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969, as part of ongoing disciplinary proceedings.
The Supreme Court had previously stipulated that the suspension of ABV could last a maximum of two years, as outlined in the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Amendment Rules, 2015. Despite this, the Andhra Pradesh government did not reinstate him and instead filed a petition in the High Court to stay the CAT orders.
With the High Court’s suspension of the State government’s plea, it remains to be seen what action the state government will take concerning ABV. The key question is whether the government will reinstate him before his retirement or allow him to retire without assigning him a posting.