Srinivasa Reddy's return to ACB unlikely

Hyderabad: Left red-faced after the AP High Court asked the state government to reconsider the transfer of K Sreenivasa Reddy from Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the government has more or less finalised a 'strategy' to wriggle out of the embarrassing situation.

In all probability, the government will tell the court that Sreenivasa Reddy's transfer was done ''purely on administrative grounds''. This would, in other words, mean that the government will not reconsider its decision. However, it remains to be seen what view the court will take.

Sources disclosed that hours after the High Court asked the government to reconsider Reddy's transfer and inform it about the decision by next Friday, certain top people within the state administration held informal discussions over the matter.

They, sources said, have decided to tell the court that Reddy's transfer was done 'on administrative grounds' and that it was a ''normal practice' and not politically motivated.

Strategically, though the government promoted Sreenivasa Reddy swiftly to enable it shift him from the post of additional director of ACB, it reportedly kept on hold B Shivdhar Reddy's promotion as IGP. Shivdhar replaced Sreenivasa Reddy. Both are officers of the 1994 batch.

Besides taking cover under the tag of 'administrative grounds', sources said the government is likely to tell the court that Coastal Security, of which Sreenivasa Reddy has been made the IG of, is a neglected wing of the state police and that it would require tough officers like him to handle it.

However, what could put the government in discomfort is why Sreenivasa Reddy was not retained in ACB even though he was promoted to the rank of IGP, in case the government chooses to also tell the court that he was transferred on promotion.

Though the post of additional director of ACB, which Sreenivasa Reddy was holding, is meant for a DIG rank officer, he could have been elevated and retained there as director of ACB, which is an IG rank post.

Present ACB director Satyanarain was promoted recently to the rank of additional DGP and his transfer is likely any time now.

Sources said the government is in no position to reconsider Reddy's transfer, as it was done in the immediate aftermath of a ''patch-up'' between two top political functionaries of the state, in Delhi.

Though chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and DGP V Dinesh Reddy are away in Delhi for the chief minister's conference, it is learnt they also discussed the matter and the steps to be taken.