CBI raids at residence of SM Krishna’s ex-private secretary and UP cadre IAS K Dhanalakshmi Gowda

THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided the residences of K Dhanalakshmi Gowda, a 2000 batch UP cadre IAS and former private secretary to India’s foreign minister SM Krishna, in Delhi and Bangalore, and recovered assets of about Rs 3.15 crore including cash. Dhanalakshmi, who is currently a deputy secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment, has been on investigators’ radar as there were suspicions that the 39-old woman IAS officer could have been linked to a case related to allotment of land for Tronica city project in Ghaziabad at a throwaway price. She was then the joint MD of UP Small Industries Corporation, Kanpur. In that case, the CBI had earlier raided engineer Arun Kumar Mishra’s houses in which carpenters were engaged to saw off the beds so as to spot cash.

It is alleged that Dhanalakshmi acquired huge amount of moveable and immovable assets in the name of her mother as well. The officer, originally hailing from Karnataka, was Krishna’s private secretary between November 2010 and June 2011, after which she was placed under compulsory wait till August, 2011. A cost accountant by profession before joining IAS, Dhanalakshmi is still staying at the residential complex of ministry of external affairs. India’s foreign office has distanced itself from the minister’s former private secretary as she left Krishna’s office in June 2011. Also, it is believed that she might have acquired illegal assets during her posting in UP.

Action and Appointments

a) Amitabh Ranjan, a 1979 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in the department of administrative reforms and public grievances, has been appointed as additional secretary in the department of revenue under finance ministry.

b) Madhusudan Prasad, a 1981 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in the department of commerce.

c) Rajive Kumar, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in Cabinet Secretariat on in-situ basis.