IAS officer who took on Marans suspended

They said the present action followed charges that he presented a false community certificate claiming to be a Dalit while he was a Christian. They added that the decision has been conveyed to UPSC in Delhi. Umashankar refused to comment,saying that he was yet to see the order.

This is the third in a series of actions against the official,after the disciplinary proceedings before the Central Administrative Tribunal,Madras,which the CAT stayed,and a subsequent DVAC probe that Umashankar challenged in the High Court as being illegal.

In his latest petition listed on Wednesday,he pleaded with the court to suspend the manual of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption,Tamil Nadu,1992. The manual,he alleged,“is used in such a way to terrorise and humiliate the honest All India Service officers who defy corrupt orders or expectations of powers that be.”

On the other hand,by passing administrative orders prohibiting registration of cases without permission of the government or the Vigilance Commissioner,the government has “created obstacles in combating corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act by illegally passing orders and publishing them as Manual of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption of Tamil Nadu,” he charged in his writ petition.

His petition named two senior IAS officials,including the present Vigilance Commissioner,who he said the state was shielding from disproportionate assets cases. In connection with the implementation of the New Veeranam drinking project,several high ranking officials were indicted by the DVAC,but the government did not permit it to proceed,he alleged.