State News

ED’s Rajeshwar Singh seeks VRS on way to joining politics

By Rakesh Ranjan- 22 Aug 2021
1990

ed-s-rajeshwar-singh-seeks-vrs-on-way-to-joining-politics

New Delhi (22.08.2021): Senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) cadre officer Rajeshwar Singh, who has been a nemesis of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son in particular and of a number of other politicians in general, is learned to have applied for the VRS.

Currently working with the ED's Lucknow office, Singh is said to have been thinking for some time and testing waters before seeking a voluntary retirement (VRS) to bring to an end his ten years of service as an officer of the UP Provincial Police Service culminating in his thirteen years long stormy innings at the ED.

Singh’s political journey, when it begins, would be seen with interest in view of his track record as a corruption buster. In the state police, he earned the reputation of an encounter specialist and in the ED he was often at cross purposes with his political bosses. But for the Supreme Court and redoubtable Subramanian Swamy coming to his rescue, his career in the ED was all but finished during the period Chidambaram helmed the FinMin.

Further, Singh was part of the investigating teams that since 2009 probed every corruption case that rocked the UPA government and demolished the credibility of Congress and its allies. They included the 2G spectrum allocation case, the Commonwealth Games scam, and the coal mines allocation scam. In each of these cases, top leaders of Congress or its allies emerged as key accused. He was also part of the team that probed the Aircel-Maxis deal that involved ex-finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram.

Yet, he was seen more as an impediment in the NDA design of things. So much so that he had to knock at the doors of the SC to get his absorption in the ED effected. The NDA's suspicion of him might be rooted in his alleged proximity to his closeness to the Gandhi family loyalist and gatekeeper Ahmad Patel.

He is credited with the attachment of ₹3,000 crores worth assets of various political and money peddlers. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act or PMLA, his investigations resulted in the attachment of ₹ 223 crores worth assets of the accused in 2G spectrum allocation case, ₹1000 crores in the Jahan Reddy case, ₹750 crores in Aircel-Maxis case, ₹600 crores in Ponzi scam and ₹300 crores in the Madhu Koda case.

An engineering graduate from Indian School of Mines (Dhanbad) by academics, top cop and investigation adventurist by profession turned law graduate in human rights possesses many things to offer to his political career. Reportedly, in addition to politics, he has plans to join the battery of legal practitioners in the Apex Court. By virtue of career with ED he is exposed to the top corporate world as well as senior judiciary. In power corridors, his access to the members of higher judiciary is often whispered.

When many top bureaucrats cover extra miles to earn three to six months or a year-long extension or a post-retirement assignment seeking VRS amid 12 years of service left is something seen as a courageous move especially from the organization like ED. 

(Rakesh Ranjan)

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