IRS officer, who demanded dismissal of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, suspended

The IRS officer had written to President Droupadi Murmu earlier in January seeking the dismissal of Nirmala Sitharaman.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Two days before he was set to retire, Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer B Balamurugan from Tamil Nadu, who had demanded the dismissal of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over an ED case, was suspended by the Union Ministry of Finance on Monday.

As per reports, Balamurugan was scheduled to retire on Wednesday.

Balamurugan, who served as Deputy Commissioner of GST and CEx, Chennai (North), wrote to President Droupadi Murmu earlier in January seeking the dismissal of Union Minister Sitharaman for ‘converting the ED into an extended arm of BJP’. The officer had written to President Murmu over the July 2023 Enforcement Directorate summons to two Dalit farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district in a case of alleged money laundering.

Balamurugan’s wife, Dalit G Pravina, was the lawyer of the farmers in the ED case, which has been closed now.

The suspension order issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and dated January 29, which indianexpress.com has seen, did not cite any other reason for suspending Balamurugan.

The suspension order also said that disciplinary proceedings are being contemplated against Balamurugan. It added that the suspended official should not leave the headquarters without obtaining prior permission from the competent authority.

While speaking to local media on Tuesday, Balamurugan said he was suspended because he wrote to President Murmu demanding the removal of Nirmala Sitharaman.

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