Centre Orders Compulsory Retirement Of ED Deputy Director Who Probed Kerala Gold Smuggling Case

Ernakulam: In a rare disciplinary action, the Union Finance Ministry has ordered the compulsory retirement of P Radhakrishnan, the deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi. Signed by the President of India last Friday, the order removed the senior official from service, citing allegations of bribery, leakage of sensitive operational details, and dereliction of duty.

A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Radhakrishnan was a prominent figure in Kerala's investigative landscape, having helmed the sensational diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case. He led the high-profile probe that led to the arrests of M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Swapna Suresh. Ironically, his exit is shrouded in the very controversy he was meant to investigate.

Allegations of Sabotage

The action follows an internal inquiry by the Union Finance Ministry, which reportedly found merit in intelligence reports suggesting Radhakrishnan had compromised the investigation.

The controversy erupted when the gold smuggling probe, which initially moved at a rapid pace, seemingly hit a stonewall just as it began to scrutinise high-ranking political offices and the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). At the time, the BJP state leadership had accused agency officials of colluding with the ruling dispensation to derail the investigation.

There were specific allegations that raid information was being leaked to suspects via middlemen, allowing for the destruction of evidence. Adding weight to these charges, Swapna Suresh, the prime accused, had later alleged that a deal worth Rs 30 crore was brokered to settle the case.

Refusal to Transfer

Suspicions were further raised by Radhakrishnan's unusual career choices during the probe. Despite being promoted and transferred to the Chennai Zonal Office as a joint director, he refused the new posting, choosing to remain in Kochi as a deputy director under the pretext of completing pending investigations.

The internal probe also found that his continued presence in Kochi was linked to similar irregularities in other cases, including the Karuvannur Service Co-operative Bank fraud. Critics allege that despite possessing strong evidence against political leaders in the bank fraud case, the investigation was stalled due to internal interference.

The 'Dead Wood' Rule

The government invoked Fundamental Rule 56(j) to execute the order, empowering the Centre to prematurely retire officials in "public interest" if they are found to be corrupt, ineffective or maintaining doubtful integrity.

While Radhakrishnan will technically retain his pension benefits, the forced retirement is viewed as a black spot on his record. Political observers interpret the move as a signal from the Centre to restore credibility to central agencies ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, countering the state government's narrative of political witch-hunts by purging "compromised elements" from within the force.

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