Andhra's ex-intel chief, who faced YSRCP heat over Pegasus and corruption allegations, gets TDP all-clear

Indian Express

a day ago

The Andhra Pradesh government has dropped all further action against retired IPS officer and former intelligence chief A B Venkateswara Rao after the High Court quashed an FIR and a chargesheet filed against him. Rao, an Additional Director General of Police officer, had been booked under charges including criminal conspiracy and cheating and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government. He was also in the limelight when allegations emerged that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government between 2014 and 2019 had used the Pegasus spying software.
Rao has maintained that he was being targeted by the YSRCP as he was deemed close to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. A few days before the Assembly elections were held on April 11, 2019, the Election Commission of India had transferred Rao and asked him to report to its headquarters. The YSR Congress Party leaders had complained to the EC that some police officers were working in favour of the TDP government.
Rao had challenged his suspension in the High Court, the Supreme Court and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which quashed his suspension and directed the YSRCP government to reinstate him. He was reinstated on May 31, 2024, and he retired the same day.
The YSRCP government had also filed a chargesheet against him in a local court in Vijayawada on May 18, 2024, in an alleged corruption case. However, both the FIR and the chargesheet were quashed by the High Court, said a government order issued on Tuesday.
Chief secretary K Vijayanand, in the order, said the TDP-led NDA government has reviewed the matter and come to the conclusion that it was not a fit case to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. 'The government has therefore decided to drop further action against Rao,' said Vijayanand in the order.
During Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's tenure, his government had also alleged that Rao was involved in irregularities in the purchase of surveillance equipment from an Israeli firm and in the award of a contract to a firm owned by his son.
In March 2022, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed a resolution to probe whether the previous TDP regime had purchased Israeli spyware, Pegasus. The resolution came as the ruling YSRCP told the House that it had taken note of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's comments that while her government had rejected an offer to buy Pegasus 4-5 years ago, the software had been acquired by Andhra Pradesh when Chandrababu Naidu was the CM.
Just after this resolution was passed, Rao held a media conference in which he said that although NSO Group had approached the state government to sell Pegasus, it was rejected. He said that as he was the Intelligence chief at that time, it was his responsibility to respond to allegations and clear the air. Taking note of his media conference, the state government issued a show cause notice to Rao on April 5, stating that he violated Rule 6 of AIS Rules as he did not take permission from the state government to address a media conference.
In April 2022, the Supreme Court directed the state government to reinstate Rao and give him a posting. The state government appointed him commissioner of printing and stationery, but suspended him the same day for the same reasons.
This January, the TDP-led NDA government regularised Rao's suspension and recognised it as time spent on duty. It enabled him to receive full pay for being on suspension from February 8, 2020, to February 7, 2022, and from June 28, 2022, to May 30, 2024.