The Madras High Court on Monday ordered for the state government to extend the personal security provided to senior IAS officer U Sagayam. The security detail, which included an armed guard, was withdrawn without explanation on Sunday by the state police. According to reports, Sagayam had been given police protection in 2014 after he approached the Madras High court for the same.
The bureaucrat who was appointed by the court as the legal Commissioner to inspect various types of mining activities in the state had alleged that he was being threatened. Further, Parthasarathy, another individual who had assisted him in the probe, was killed in April 2015 when his car crashed into a tree in Madurai.
The Times of India reports that between 2014 and 2015, while he was compiling this report, he received letters threatening him and his family members if he continued the probe. He finally submitted the report which was over 2000 pages in November 2015 and alleged that the scam had caused the exchequer to lose royalty worth over Rs 5000 crore.
Despite having unearthed such a large scam, his personal security was withdrawn without any information being given to the senior IAS officer.
Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) JK Tripathy told ToI that the decision was taken after a state security committee meeting.
The Madras High Court however, was dissatisfied by this decision and on Monday ordered that the protection continue as the granite scam case was still underway. The court said that all officers involved in compiling the report must be given protection.
This is yet another thorn in the IAS officer's side. He has been known to be a stickler for rules and an anti-corruption crusader. However, he has faced multiple transfers and been shunted to the role of vice-chairman of science city for six years now. Frustrated by this, he had even applied for voluntary retirement from services on October 2 this year.