Hardly any government bothers to take a corrective measure in favour of a retired civil servant. But the Andhra Pradesh government has done it by regularising the suspension periods of retired IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao (IPS:1989:AP). It recognizes the suspension periods as spent on duty. The order regularising Rao’s suspension periods was issued by Chief Secretary K Vijayanand on Tuesday.
The previous YSRCP government had suspended him and reportedly kept him without posting during the last five years. Rao retired on May 31, 2024, as the Commissioner, Printing, and Stationery & Stores Purchases.
Rao virtually faced the two spells of suspension from February 8, 2020 to February 7, 2022, and June 28, 2022 to May 30, 2024. But after this order, he will receive full pay and allowances for these periods.
The state government is reported to have confirmed that all allowances already paid as subsistence during these periods would be adjusted. The Director General of Police (DGP), Andhra Pradesh, had been directed to implement the order.
More importantly, the move reinstates the officer’s professional contributions during his service.
It should be mentioned here that despite his suspension, disciplinary actions were dropped following a Supreme Court order in April 2022. Similarly, his second suspension was overturned by the Central Administrative Tribunal and it was later upheld by the High Court.
