Senior IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao, who was suspended in February 2020 for allegedly committing irregularities in the procurement of surveillance equipment, got a reprieve in the Supreme Court on Thursday as it made clear that the suspension could be for a maximum of two years as per the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Amendment Rules, 2015.
During the hearing on an SLP filed by the State government, the apex court said since the two-year period was over, the suspension could no longer be in place, and insisted that if the State thought otherwise, it should justify the grounds on which it proposed to keep the aggrieved officer away from his duties.
The court listed the case for disposal on April 22.
Mr. Venkateswara Rao, who was the Director-General of Police (Intelligence) in the TDP government, was accused of misusing his authority in purchasing security-related equipment, and also had fingers of suspicion pointed at him during a discussion in the Legislative Assembly last month on the alleged procurement of Pegasus spyware.
