You Baffle Me: ED Officer Rajeshwar Singh’s Letter to Revenue Secy

In the letter dated 11 June, he said that Hasmukh Adhia was “siding with the scamsters and their affiliates”.

In a letter to Hasmukh Adhia, dated 11 June 2018, Enforcement Directorate Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh had slammed the Revenue Secretary for “siding with the scamsters and their affiliates”. He was “continuously and consistently hounded” for standing up against those who were “rigging” the system, he alleged.

The top ED officer submitted this letter to the agency Director Karnail Singh, who then forwarded it to the Revenue Secretary.

Singh has been investigating the Aircel-Maxis and 2G spectrum cases. In a ruling on Wednesday, 27 June, the Supreme Court allowed the government to probe “serious charges” against Singh pertaining to disproportionate assets. The ED, however, backed him, and called him a “responsible officer”.

Besides Adhia, Singh had hit out at P Chidambaram, who is under the scanner in connection with the Aircel-Maxis case. He said the former finance minister made “his life hell” for investigating the case.

Singh, who has been handling several other high-profile cases for the ED since 2009, said that he is paying the price for “clinging on to integrity and for doing what the law required him to do.” In the same letter, he stated that he would be going on leave for a year.

“Chidambaram Has Made My Life Hell”

In the letter, Rajeshwar wrote that Chidambaram made his life an "accentuated hell" while investigating his son Karti Chidambram and him in the Aircel-Maxis case.

He said that the situation has reached a "tipping point," that he is "constrained" to defy the directions of the court. Singh alleged that Chidambram openly sported a grudge against him as he monitored the investigation.

"Baffled by You, Revenue Secretary"

In the letter, Singh accused Revenue Secretary Adhia of siding with "scamsters and their affiliates", stating that he is baffled at it. The joint director wrote that it was difficult for him to survive in the "continued onslaught and persistent vilification" from all quarters for performing his duty.

He appealed to the revenue secretary to not just protect him, but also preserve the investigation agency’s integrity. He added that he was giving a "shout out" on behalf of all officers who believe in the system and that the country was worth fighting for.

“Am I wrong to suggest that corporate lobbyists like Upendra Rai with the blessings of officers like US Kumawat, Joint Secretary, perceived to be extremely close to you, killed my promotion proposal every single time and apparently for no reason? Why do you take complaints from people like Upendra Rai seriously?,” wrote the officer in his letter.

“Not Delaying Investigation in Aircel-Maxis”

He alleged that Adhia has been indicating that Singh was delaying the investigation in the Aircel-Maxis case so as to extend his stay in Delhi, and appealed to him to understand that the "nature of dynamics" of PMLA investigations. He questioned if any officer can conclude an investigation without chargesheet by predicate agency.

Stating that the revenue secretary expressed, in casual conversations, that Singh was manipulating judges, he said:

It is strange and unbelievable that after so many years in public service, you believe that so many judges can be manipulated, that too over such a long period of time.

Rajeshwar Singh

"Have Been Awaiting Promotion"

Singh claimed that he was "awaiting" his promotion to the grade of Additional Director for the last seven months, but there has been no progress in this regard.

I am astutely aware that this is being done not just to humiliate me, but also to ensure that the investigation in certain crucial cases I handle, ought to derail.

Rajeshwar Singh in the letter