A joint director of the Enforcement Directorate, who probed the 2G scam and is part of other sensitive cases, has made a scathing attack on revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia questioning him if he has developed animosity against him by “siding with scamsters and their affiliates”.
In a letter dated 11 June, 2018 sent through ED director Karnal Singh, Rajeshwar Singh said in the last 20 years, all his appraisal reports, written by more than 50 senior IAS, IPS and IRS officers, have uniformly rated his performance as “outstanding”.
“Why do you disregard their opinion? Is it possible for me to have managed all of them over a period of time,” he wrote.
Singh who was a UP police officer had joined the Directorate on deputation. The letter became public on Wednesday when the Supreme Court, which had given Singh protection from any action against him in the past, modified its orders.
The Supreme Court maintained that the Centre was free to look into the “serious” charges against ED officer Rajeshwar Singh, probing the “highly sensitive” 2G spectrum allocation scam cases including the Aircel-Maxis deal.
“You are simply an officer. You can’t be given a blanket clean chit. Everybody is accountable. You must be accountable for any action. We need to ensure that you are accountable. We don’t want to damage you or comment against you. There are very serious allegations against you,” the bench of justices Arun Mishra and S.K. Kaul told the officer.
In the letter to Adhia, Rajeshwar Singh has said “It pained me further that you have expressed many a times to senior officers over casual conversations that I have been manipulating the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court of India.” “It is strange and also unbelievable that after so may years in public service, you believe that so many judges can be manipulated and that too over such a long period of time,” he said.
Singh told Adhia that he had sought a personal meeting from him for explaining his side which was not granted. He said former finance minister P. Chidambaram “sported an open and direct grudge against him” because of Supreme Court monitored Aircel-Maxis investigation.
“However, what thoroughly baffles the undersigned, is the animosity you have fashioned against me by siding with scamsters and their affiliates in a sustained manner. It has become more than difficult for me to survive this continued onslaught and persistent vilification from all the quarters for doing my job,” he said.
Singh said the attorney general (AG) had requested the Supreme Court to order providing protection for him as the AG was convinced that he was being “hounded” but “you (Adhia) do not seem to agree” with the law officer too. He said his promotion in the grade of additional director, ED was due from 1 April, 2017 which is being processed in the finance ministry but it has been more than seven months and there has been “absolutely” no progress.
“I am astutely aware that this is being done to not just humiliate me but also to ensure that the investigation in certain crucial cases I handle, ought to derail. May I beg to ask if you are compromising on larger aspects of our national interest to set scores on an ego trip that is absolutely uncontested from my side,” he said. (PTI)
