Brawl breaks out in finance ministry Civil strife within the Union finance ministry spilled out in the open on Wednesday after it emerged that an Enforcement Directorate joint director had asked revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia in writing whether the top officer had developed animosity towards him by "siding with scamsters and their affiliates".

| | Published 28.06.18, 12:00 AM

Hasmukh Adhia

New Delhi: Civil strife within the Union finance ministry spilled out in the open on Wednesday after it emerged that an Enforcement Directorate joint director had asked revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia in writing whether the top officer had developed animosity towards him by "siding with scamsters and their affiliates".

A Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, Adhia is not only the most senior official in the finance ministry but was also considered extremely close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, playing decisive roles in the demonetisation drive and implementation of the GST.

However, it has been speculated of late that Adhia's stock has dipped somewhat in the corridors of power. The finance ministry itself has been in a state of flux with Arun Jaitley becoming minister without portfolio while convalescing after a surgery but keeping close tabs on his previous berth.

The latest controversy erupted soon after the Supreme Court said on Wednesday that wealth-related allegations against Rajeshwar Singh, the joint director in the Enforcement Directorate that reports to the revenue department under the finance ministry, should be probed. But the court added that it was not making any comment against anyone.

Singh is part of the team probing the Aircel-Maxis case in which erstwhile UPA minister Dayanidhi Maran has been accused of arm-twisting the Aircel owner to sell his stake to Maxis. Allegations have also been levelled against the family of P. Chidambaram, the then finance minister.

There have been suggestions that sections of the finance ministry wanted to ease Singh out of the Aircel-Maxis probe. The officer's critics, who accuse him of corruption, have been citing an input about a phone call Singh had received from Dubai in 2016. Singh's promotion has been withheld on this ground.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy retweeted an allegation in the evening: "Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia @adhia03 played fraud by placing an old manufactured RAW input of 2016 in SC today in sealed cover to save Chidambaram by terminating ED officer Rajeshwar Singh. Adhia hushed up ED Chief's reply to RAW on this."

Adhia could not be contacted for comment. Singh has proceeded on leave, PTI quoted sources as saying.

High drama unfolded away from the court soon after the bench ruled that Singh must be probed. A letter Singh had written to Adhia, which was forwarded to the revenue secretary through the Enforcement Directorate chief, was leaked.

In the letter, Singh tells Adhia: "It pained me further that you have expressed many a times to senior officers over casual conversations that I have been manipulating the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court of India. It is strange and also unbelievable that after so many years in public service, you believe that so many judges can be manipulated and that too over such a long period of time."

The officer said a journalist who was intimidating him had access to the corridors of power in the finance ministry.

He said Chidambaram "sported an open and direct grudge against him" because of the Supreme Court-monitored Aircel-Maxis investigation. "However, what thoroughly baffles the undersigned (Singh), is the animosity you have fashioned against me by siding with scamsters and their affiliates in a sustained manner," he added.

After the letter leaked, sources in the finance ministry told PTI that the charges levelled by Singh against the revenue secretary were baseless. One source was quoted as saying: "The ED officer is now trying to make undue allegations just to save his skin."

But the Enforcement Directorate contradicted the "sources" in its parent ministry and described Singh as "a responsible officer with outstanding career records".

In a formal statement that referred to Swamy's claims, the Enforcement Directorate said: "To put the record straight, Rajeshwar Singh received a call in 2016 from a person based out of Dubai who gave important information regarding a case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. Singh, being a responsible officer with outstanding career records, passed on this information to the Directorate and the same was used in the investigation of the case. It is important to note that he received only one call and that too it was an incoming call from this person in Dubai."

Additional reporting by PTI