Jethwani case: IPS officer turns approver?

[Anta Assamey]

The suspension of three IPS officers in connection with the alleged illegal harassment, detention, and booking of Mumbai-based actress Kadambari Jethwani in a false case during the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh has caused a stir in state bureaucratic circles.

It is understood that the three IPS officers – former intelligence chief P.S.R. Anjaneyulu, former Vijayawada police commissioner Kanti Rana Tata, and former Vijayawada deputy commissioner Vishal Gunni – are contemplating challenging their suspension in the Central Administrative Tribunal.

However, reports surfaced on Tuesday suggesting that one of the officers, Vishal Gunni, who played a key role in traveling to Mumbai and bringing Jethwani to Vijayawada, has effectively turned approver in the case.

According to these reports, Gunni has provided a written statement to the Director General of Police (DGP) stating that he acted under pressure from the then Chief Minister's Office and followed verbal orders from former intelligence DG P S R Anjaneyulu.

Gunni reportedly testified that Anjaneyulu called him and Kanti Rana Tata to the CMO at Tadepalli on January 31 to outline the plan of action to implicate Jethwani in the case.

"Up until that point, no case had been registered against her, and it was only on February 2 that she was booked in a forgery case at the Ibrahimpatnam police station, based on a complaint from YSRCP leader K. Vidyasagar," Gunni is said to have revealed.

Following oral instructions from the intelligence chief, Gunni and Tata traveled to Mumbai on February 1, a day before the case was officially registered. Jethwani was brought to Vijayawada on February 2, the day the case was filed.

Gunni reportedly informed the DGP that he had been promoted to the Visakhapatnam range as DIG on January 29, but was not relieved from his Vijayawada post. It was only 13 days later that he assumed his new position in Visakhapatnam.

"Before I was relieved, I was tasked with handling the Kadambari Jethwani case. I was told that unless I completed the task, I would not be relieved or promoted to DIG. I had no choice but to follow the instructions from my superiors," Gunni reportedly said.

He is said to have informed the investigating officer that Anjaneyulu monitored the case at every step and provided directions accordingly. The forgery documents against Jethwani were reportedly prepared by a lawyer from Prakasam district, who met with Kanti Rana Tata several times between January 31 and February 2. The call records of the lawyer and the officers involved have also been seized, sources said.