ED's chief investigating officer on leave to pursue LLM

The officials said Rajeshwar, who completed his LLB recently, had sent his leave application 3-4 months back but was not allowed to undertake the course as the Aircel-Maxis charge sheets against P Chidambaram.

The Enforcement Directorate's chief investigating officer for 2G cases, Rajeshwar Singh, has handed over all his charges and has been sanctioned leave to pursue a law course, officials said Tuesday.

The officer's last task was filing a charge sheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against former finance minister P Chidambaram on October 25.

They said Rajeshwar Singh's leave was sanctioned by the then ED Director Karnal Singh, for pursuing a course in LLM (Masters in Law).

Karnal Singh retired from the agency on October 27.

The leave has been sanctioned till the completion of the course which is understood to be of two years.

The officials said Rajeshwar, who completed his LLB recently, had sent his leave application 3-4 months back but was not allowed to undertake the course as the Aircel-Maxis charge sheets against P Chidambaram and his son Karti was pending among few other important cases.

They added that the leave sanction order mentions that Rajeshwar a joint director-rank officer, will be available whenever he is required for "assistance in investigations or trial in court" with regard to cases probed by him, including the 2G spectrum allocation and the Aircel-Maxis money laundering cases.

Rajeshwar has also handed over his charge of joint director (Lucknow zone) of the ED, the officials said.

The Union Finance Ministry had submitted a secret report to the Supreme Court in June apparently carrying details of a phone call received by Rajeshwar from Dubai.

The report is said to have been prepared by country's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and handed over to the Department of Revenue in the Finance Ministry, under which the ED functions.

The then ED Director Karnal Singh had issued a press statement, saying the said overseas call received by Rajeshwar pertained to an "ongoing investigation" and that he was a responsible officer with outstanding career records.

The government had subsequently launched an investigation against Rajeshwar for writing a letter in which he had made a scathing attack on the then revenue secretary (presently finance secretary) Hasmukh Adhia questioning him if he has developed animosity against him by "siding with scamsters and their affiliates"?

Sources said Rajeshwar has subsequently issued a notice seeking an explanation for alleged "insubordination" in context of this letter by the revenue department, to which he has replied with a "regret" and had explained his side of the story.

They added that the said letter written by Rajeshwar, a Uttar Pradesh cadre police officer who was later absorbed in the ED, was sent through "official channels" to the agency's chief but it was never forwarded to Adhia.

The accusations of alleged irregularities made against Rajeshwar were probed by the ED, the CBI and the CVC, and a report was sent to the court and the government stating that there was "no merit" in the allegations and hence the enquiry was closed.

(With inputs from agencies.)