BENGALURU: Amidst allegations that the state government is plotting to use the newly formed Anti-Corruption Bureau(ACB) to 'rein in' recalcitrant politicians and legislators, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to invite more flak by appointing officers of his choice to head the ACB.
This feeling has gained ground as DGP Neelamani N Raju, an IPS officer of the 1983 batch, who was on central deputation since 1993, has returned to state service and is likely to be appointed DGP. Interestingly, she is the wife of D.N. Narasimha Raju, Additional Chief Secretary in the CM’s secretariat.
If the government appoints Neelamani Raju as ACB head, it could be just the trigger the opposition and anti-corruption crusaders were waiting for to tear apart the government's defence that the ACB has nothing political about it. There are reports that the brains behind the ACB are Narasimha Raju himself and the all powerful advisor of the Home Minister, Kempaiah, who are pretty close to the CM.
Sources said if their plan works out, the CM would have a powerful coterie of officials, not to mention his loyalist ministers, to browbeat his rivals into submission.
But there is a hitch in appointing Neelamani Raju as DGP. The state has only six DGP posts and the post of a seventh DGP has to be sanctioned to the state. “The DGP (prisons) post was created recently. To create one more post, we will have to write to the Centre. It will take us several days to sort this out," an official in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms said.
In its initial order, the government had appointed an officer of the rank of ADGP to head the ACB and K.V. Gagandeep was posted as ACB head. But before the ACB could start functioning, Mr Gagandeep went on leave for 45 days, substantiating reports that he may make way for Ms Raju.
DG&IGP Om Prakash said Mr Gagandeep had already taken charge as ADGP, ACB, and had gone on leave on health grounds. He said posting Ms Raju to ACB was a decision left to the government. The government posted DCP (West) of Bengaluru city, Labhu Ram, as SP, ACB, Bengaluru City, while Hassan SP Raman Gupta was posted as SP, Administration (HQs).
Mr Ram was replaced by Ajay Hilori, who was MD, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, while Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad, who was DCP (Administration) inBengaluru City, replaced Raman Gupta as Hassan SP. Further, Isha Pant has been posted as SP & Principal of Police Training College in Kalaburagi.
