IPS officer who gave travel nod to Wadhawans resumes work

An IPS officer, who was sent on compulsory leave by Maharashtra government for allowing tainted businessmen brothers Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan to travel during the lockdown, has resumed work after a panel probing the matter exonerated him, a senior official said.

The government had last month sent Amitabh Gupta, principal secretary (special) home department, on compulsory leave for allowing DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan to travel from Khandala near Pune to Mahabaleshwar in Satara district despite the lockdown.

The bureaucrat had issued a letter exempting the Wadhawans and some others from the lockdown norms citing a family emergency.

Additional chief secretary, finance Manoj Saunik had probed the matter.

"Gupta has joined the office again. He was exonerated by the panel probing his role and a decision was taken accordingly," a senior official said on Saturday.

The permission for travel by cars, in the form of "To Whomsoever It May Concern" letter, was issued on April 8.

It stated that the Wadhawan family was known to Gupta and they were traveling for "family emergency".

Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan are under the scanner in Yes Bank and Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank scams.