The Union government has given its consent to prosecute two former Director Generals of Police — S. George and T.K. Rajendran — in the gutkha scam, official sources said on Saturday.
In July last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that probed the case had sent a proposal to the Tamil Nadu government seeking sanction to prosecute 11 persons, including the two former DGPs, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
It was during their tenure as Commissioner of Police, Chennai, that the alleged bribery in the gutkha scam took place. Mr. George and Mr. Rajendran retired from service on September 30, 2017, and June 30, 2019, respectively.
Since the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is the competent authority to accord sanction of prosecution on the retired IPS officers, the State wrote to the Union government seeking consent.
“We have received a communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs confirming the sanction to prosecute the two former DGPs of Tamil Nadu cadre. This will be communicated to the CBI, which is the investigating agency, enabling it to file the second chargesheet in the case,” a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The gutkha scam, exposed by The Hindu in June 2017, pertains to the alleged involvement of former Ministers, including B.V. Ramana alias B. Venkataramana (the then Minister of Commercial Tax), C. Vijayabaskar (the then Minister of Health), former IPS officers and officials of the Tamil Nadu police, the Greater Chennai Corporation, Food Safety Department and the Department of Commercial Taxes in taking bribes to the tune of ₹39.91 crore for facilitating the storage, transport and sale of the banned tobacco product in Chennai. city. The bribery was unearthed by the Income Tax Department during a search on the premises of the manufacturer of MDM brand of gutkha near Red Hills here.
Investigators found a book of accounts which suggested that ₹39.91 crore was paid over a period of two years to the former Ministers, former police officers and other officials to facilitate the illegal business.
The CBI’s Anti-Corruption (III) Unit, New Delhi, filed the first chargesheet in November 2018 against six persons, including three officials. While seeking sanction to prosecute some accused persons in the case, the agency recommended departmental action against some senior police officers, including two Inspector-Generals of Police and two Deputy Commissioners of Police, the sources added.
Published - April 16, 2023 12:10 am IST
