UP: IPS officer in a soup over tirade against ED

Launching a baseless tirade against enforcement director Arun Mathur has landed an Indian Police Services officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre in serious trouble.

The UP government on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to deputy inspector general of police Jasveer Singh for filing a public interest litigation against the enforcement director in which certain false and baseless allegations have been made against the officer.

Taking serious note of the fact that the 1992 batch IPS officer had gone ahead with the PIL without obtaining mandatory permission of the government, the Union home ministry had directed the state government to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him, following which the show-cause notice was issued.

Jasveer Singh had filed the PIL in collaboration with Vijay Shankar Pandey, a 1979 batch IAS officer and IIT-Delhi Professor S K Dube, in their capacity as members of India Rejuvenation Initiative, a voluntary body formed by top retired and serving bureaucrats and others.

Pandey, whom was stated to be the mastermind behind the PIL, was understood to have initiated the move only after his name surfaced in the infamous Hasan Ali case, being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

The PIL had sought removal of Arun Mathur from the high profile position of ED on the plea that he was facing certain departmental inquiries.

The show-cause notice, issued by state home secretary Dipak Kumar, pointedly charges Jasveer Singh of violating the Service Conduct Rules.

The notice also seeks explanation from Singh for concealing the fact that he was an IPS officer.

"Why did you not mention in your petition before the Supreme Court that you were an IPS officer and why did you mention your permanent home address of Punjab as your place of residence when you were actually residing in Lucknow?", the notice has sought to know from him.

Singh had also not cared to seek the state government's permission to become a member of IRI, which was stated to be yet another violation of the service rules.

Similar action was likely to follow against Pandey as well as Dube, sources said.