Bribe charges against top excise officer trigger review of his high-profile cases

Kottayam: From losing the Chief Minister’s medal over a bribery case to being caught allegedly accepting bribes by the Excise Commissioner himself, S Ashok Kumar, Excise deputy commissioner in Kottayam, has been no stranger to controversy.

The officer, now under suspension, came under the scanner once again after the Excise Commissioner personally verified the complaints against him and his team. Based on the latest findings, the department has fast-tracked disciplinary proceedings, with officials indicating that the action could extend to dismissal from service.

This is not the first time allegations of bribery have derailed Ashok Kumar’s career. In 2017, the government revoked the Chief Minister’s Excise Medal awarded to him after he faced action in a bribery case. It was the first such cancellation in the history of the Excise department.

The medal, awarded in 2010, was withdrawn on the basis of a report by then Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh. The order was issued by the then Additional Chief Secretary (Taxes) Tom Jose.

The case pertained to the seizure of 28 cans of spirit from the house of an abkari case accused under the Thiruvalla Excise Range. Ashok Kumar was then an inspector with the Pathanamthitta Excise Enforcement Squad.

The accused in the case later told Vigilance that he had paid ₹4.62 lakh to Ashok Kumar after being promised that he would be spared from the case. Of this, however, only ₹2.25 lakh was produced before the court. The Excise team had also seized a scooter from the house, alleging that it was used to transport the contraband.

A subsequent Vigilance probe found substance in the allegations. Its report said two members of the Excise team had visited the accused’s rented house and demanded Rs.5 lakh. The accused raised Rs.4.62 lakh by pledging gold ornaments and handed over the money to the officials. Ashok Kumar was suspended based on the findings and reinstated six months later. He was then posted to the Idukki Special Squad. The departmental proceedings that followed, however, resulted in the withdrawal of his medal.

Two high-profile cases where he bucked Excise
Ashok Kumar had also figured in two high-profile cases that sparked widespread debate in the state. His findings in both put him at odds with the Excise department.

Though actors Shine Tom Chacko and Sreenath Bhasi were initially named as accused in the ₹2 crore hybrid ganja case, their names were later dropped from the case. In the second case, Ashok Kumar, who was Assistant Excise Commissioner in Alappuzha at the time, backed MLA U Prathibha’s complaint that her son Kaniv had been made an accused in a ganja case without due procedure.

Liquor, cash to turn a blind eye
The latest probe against Ashok Kumar and his team began after the Excise Minister and Commissioner received complaints on WhatsApp that bars in the Changanassery area were operating beyond permitted hours. During the inquiry, bar owners gave their statements that fixed amounts were collected from establishments for distribution among officials during Onam, Christmas and licence renewals. The probe also uncovered what officials described as a parallel ‘complimentary system’, under which officials allegedly accepted liquor, food and cash in return for overlooking violations.

Key cases handled by Ashok Kumar to face review
Meanwhile, some of the major cases probed by Ashok Kumar are now set to come under fresh scrutiny following the action against him. He had led the investigations into the Alappuzha case involving the arrest of a former MLA’s son and the hybrid ganja case involving film actors. The department had faced allegations of lapses in the handling of both cases, prompting officials to order a detailed review of files in cases that had attracted such complaints.

The latest probe has also exposed a serious lapse in the department’s intelligence mechanism. Despite complaints reaching Excise Minister M Liju and Commissioner Seeram Sambasivarao on WhatsApp, the intelligence wing failed to gather the information or alert the commissioner. The commissioner, in turn, kept his operation so tightly under wraps that even intelligence officers were kept in the dark.

After posting a WhatsApp status saying he was travelling to Bijapur, he reached Kottayam and launched what was code-named ‘Operation Bijapur’, leading to the detection of the alleged bribery network.

Excise preventive officer arrested in POCSO case
In a separate development, Excise preventive officer Arun Kumar (46), of Elavunkal, 504 Nagar, Poonchavayal, has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl. Kumar, who was posted at the Kanjirappally Excise Range office, is already under suspension in another case involving alleged misconduct towards a female colleague.