ABV ban: Jagan has the last laugh!

AB Venkateshwara Rao, a senior IPS officer and former intelligence chief of Andhra Pradesh during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime, may have to retire without doing a single day of his job in the last five years.

ABV, who will retire from service on May 31 on attaining superannuation, made a desperate attempt to return to service at least at the end of his career by challenging his suspension by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the Central Administrative Tribunal.

Exactly three weeks before his retirement, the CAT passed an order in his favor, revoking his suspension and directing the state government to reinstate him in service and restore all his salary and allowances.

But Jagan did not want ABV to work under his government. Hence, his government moved the Supreme Court challenging the CAT order. The Supreme Court accepted the petition for hearing within a few days.

If the Supreme Court refuses to grant immediate stay on the CAT orders, ABV may have to be reinstated. But if the hearing continues, he may have to retire without rejoining service.

ABV’s suspension followed allegations of irregularities in the purchase of surveillance equipment, which led to the Andhra Pradesh ACB registering a case against him.

Despite previous legal battles, including a verdict against him in the CAT, a recent Telangana High Court decision set aside the CAT order, prompting the AP government to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

After a protracted legal battle that spanned more than two years, the Supreme Court dismissed the government’s petition on the grounds that a member of the armed forces cannot remain suspended for more than two years.

ABV’s suspension was subsequently lifted and he was reinstated by the government. However, this reinstatement was short-lived as he was again suspended on similar grounds, on the grounds that criminal proceedings were pending against him.

ABV challenged this fresh suspension before the CAT. The senior advocate argued on his behalf that the state government’s decision to suspend him again on the same grounds despite the Supreme Court’s directions was illegal, arbitrary and a violation of ABV’s fundamental rights.