ACB DGs missive leaves government red-faced

HYDERABAD: Keeping up pressure on the state government, Anti-Corruption Bureau director-general D Boobathi Babu has shot off another letter to it, this time seeking posting of three officers of his choice in the rank of additional SP to the bureau to ensure a thorough probe into the liquor syndicate scam.The government, which is already struggling to save its face with Babu’s refusal to take IPS officer C Ravi Varma into the ACB on the ground that he doubted his reputation, is again left red-faced.Sources told Express that Boobathi Babu, after forwarding the names of two senior IPS officers, seeking posting of one of them as director, wrote another letter on Tuesday.In the letter, he mentioned the names of three police officials of the rank of additional SP and asked the Government to post them at the earliest.He is understood to have said that in order to have a thorough probe into the liquor scam he needed a strong and efficient team and was, therefore, hand-picking his team one by one to fill up the vacancies.In the past though many ACB chiefs had written to the government requesting that vacancies be filled up, this is perhaps the first time that a director-general suggested the names of officers he intends to have in the ACB.According to sources, Boobathi Babu is all set for a systematic and thorough probe into the liquor syndicate and does not want any interference of any sort from the government, particularly in posting of police officials to ACB as he feels that deliberate attempts are being made to post those having strong political connections.The government is thus caught in a complex situation now.If it does not heed his suggestions, Babu has a ready option of approaching the court.The High Court has already said that if Boobathi Babu needs any directions with regard to the probe, he is free to approach the court.The government, which has never received such demands from officers other than the DGP or the state intelligence chief, finds itself in a fix.After ACB chief’s refusal to relieve the then additional director K Sreenivasa Reddy and to take Ravi Varma into the ACB, Boobathi Babu has refused to discuss these matters with anyone, including senior IPS and IAS officers.