JOIN USDisciplinary action recommended against Riyaz
The Registrar of the Lokayukta has written to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) for initiating disciplinary action against Joint Commissioner (PRO) Syed Riyaz. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday communicated to the Registrar’s office the arrest of Riyaz.
Sources said that the State government was the appointing authority for the post of Joint Commissioner (PRO). The SIT had arrested Riyaz on July 26 from a clinic in Koramangala.
“As per the rules, a government servant is deemed to be under suspension after 48 hours of police or judicial custody. The post of Joint Commissioner (PRO) is not a cadre recruitment post in the institution. The State government has created the post and hence, a decision has to be taken by the government. The government had, in fact, transferred Riyaz, who was a policeman, permanently to the Lokayukta institution,” an official said.
Meanwhile, SIT officials took Ashwin Yerabati, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, to the second floor of the Lokayukta office as part of the investigation on Wednesday. The officials took Ashwin to the Lokayukta office at around 2.30 pm.
Sources said that the officials had conducted a mahazar of the tower locations of the SIM cards used in the extortion racket. The PRO’s chamber and the adjacent conference room, the place of occurrence as per the first FIR, were sealed on July 25.
Sources said that the SIT had found that the key to the conference hall was with Riyaz for more than 20 years. Sources said that before going on the Umrah pilgrimage, Riyaz handed over the key to Justice Rao. On June 10, Justice Rao returned the key to the administrative wing of the Lokayukta.
The SIT officials also took Ashwin and Ashok Kumar, the first person arrested by the SIT, to some of the star hotels for spot inspection. Based on the statement by Kumar, the officials took Ashwin to these star hotels. Sources said that the SIT was analysing the mobile phones and laptops of the accused persons. They had called the public servants to various star hotels and reportedly demanded bribe.