A special court here on Tuesday said it would examine the legal papers pertaining to the controversial appointment of Director General of Police N. Sankar Reddy as chief of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).
The contentious decision by the previous United Democratic (UDF) government in 2015 was clouded by the opposition’s forceful allegations that the government had roped in Mr. Reddy to steer the investigation in the bar licence renewal bribery case in favour of former Finance Minister K. M. Mani, the sole suspect official.
The appointment, which came in the run-up to the Assembly elections, had also triggered intense inner bickering within the Police Department.
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‘Seniority bypassed’
Many officials believed that the government had brazenly bypassed the seniority and track record of at least three ranking officers to appoint Mr. Reddy to the coveted post. (The Left Democratic Front government subsequently removed Mr. Reddy from the post and appointed Jacob Thomas in his stead.)
Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge A. Baharudeen received government documents running into more than 300 pages that related to Mr. Reddy’s appointment with a covering letter from the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Vigilance, Nalini Netto. The contents of Ms. Netto’s letter remain confidential.
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The government submitted the documents in response to a public interest petition filed by Paichira Nawaz, a local resident, in November.