IMA rip-off: Before switch, IPS officer had flagged disparity in suspensions

Two days earlier than her switch as Karnataka residence secretary to the publish of director of the Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation, senior IPS officer Roopa Moudgil raised questions over delay within the suspension of two IPS officers accused within the Rs 4,500 crore IMA rip-off probed by the CBI at the same time as three non-IPS officers accused within the case had been suspended in October.
Moudgil was transferred on December 31 in what was seen as a fallout of a spat with Hemanth Nimbalkar – an IPS officer accused within the IMA rip-off – over her alleged unauthorised interference final yr in a young for a Rs 620 crore Bengaluru secure metropolis venture. Nimbalkar, who headed the tendering committee of the Bengaluru metropolis police in his capability as the extra commissioner of police (administration), was additionally transferred on December 31 to the inner safety division of the Karnataka police.

In a December 29, 2020 letter to Karnataka Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar (who retired on December 31), then Home Secretary Moudgil wrote, “DPAR (Services) has particularly written to ACS to Government in Home Department to draft and submit the disciplinary proceedings towards Shri Hemant Nimbalkar, IPS and different cops as per advice of the CBI. However, for months, the Home Department has did not submit the foremost disciplinary proceedings to the DPAR (Services).
“While suspension and disciplinary action has been approved and issued for junior police officers, neither suspension nor disciplinary action has been taken by Home Department against Shri Hemant Nimbalkar, IPS, and another IPS officer.”
Both Moudgil and Nimbalkar are IG-rank officers of the Karnataka Police.

Nimbalkar and DIG-rank officer Ajay Hilori have been named by the CBI together with three junior officers – deputy superintendent E B Sridhar, police inspector M Ramesh and sub inspector P Gowrishankar.
In October 2020, the federal government ordered the suspension of the junior cops however no motion has been taken towards the IPS officers thus far. The disparity has been a topic of concern within the police drive.

“The suspension of IPS officers is not in the hands of the home department but it is with the DPAR (Services) who have to recommend to the Central government,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajneesh Goel mentioned when requested about Moudgil’s letter accusing the house division of inaction.
“In the case of suspension of IPS officers, DPAR (Services) has to write to the central Ministry of Home Affairs for suspension on the basis of communication from the state home department,” a former DPAR (Services) official mentioned.Nimbalkar has approached the Karnataka High Court difficult the CBI case towards him on the grounds that his function within the CID Economic Offences Wing, which ready the report on the schemes run by IMA, was to ship the report ready by junior officers to his seniors within the CID for approval.
The courtroom has refused to remain the CBI investigation towards the IPS officer however has directed the Karnataka authorities and the central probe company to not resort to any coercive motion towards the official.