Senior IPS officer A B Venkateswara Rao took charge as commissioner of printing and stationery in Vijayawada on Friday. He visited the office of the commissioner at Mthyalampadu printing press and assumed charge.

Rao was under suspension for two years after Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy took over the government. The government suspended him on charges of corruption and misuse of power in purchase of digital equipment for the state intelligence wing during the TDP regime. He was the head of the State Intelligence wing during the TDP regime.

The IPS officer was close to the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and is accused of playing a key role in the defection of 23 MLAs from the YSR Congress to the ruling TDP during 2017-18. He is also accused of threatening some of the YSR Congress legislators those days to support the TDP.

In this background, the YSR Congress government suspended him in February 2020 making corruption charges against him. He challenged the suspension in High Court, which gave him orders in his favour. Following this the state government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court which directed the state government to lift the suspension as it cannot be continued beyond two years.

The IPS officer submitted the Supreme Court order to Chief Secretary Dr Sameer Sharma and requested him to issue orders withdrawing suspension. He made two representations to the chief secretary following which the government issued fresh orders withdrawing his suspension. He was then asked to report to duty in the General Administration Department.

As Venkateswara Rao reported in the GAD, the government finally issued orders posting him as the commissioner of printing and stationary.