More than a year after taking voluntary retirement from service, Praveen Prakash, former principal secretary in the CMO during the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government, tendered a public apology for targeting former intelligence chief A B Venkateshwar Rao and IRS officer Jasti Krishna Kishore.
Known for his dictatorial attitude during his stint in the CMO in the Jagan government, Praveen Prakash on Wednesday released a video on social media expressing remorse over his past conduct during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime.
He apologised to ABV and Krishna Kishore (who was then heading the AP Economic Development Board), admitting that he had behaved inappropriately with them while in service.
Praveen Prakash said after his retirement from service, he was heavily trolled on social media.
“I kept wondering what mistakes I had made. I worked in Andhra Pradesh for 30 years without earning even a rupee illegally. I never acted against the law,” he said.
He said from 2000 to 2004, he had served as Municipal Commissioner in Guntur and Vijayawada.
“My work made me a hero — but one wrong act turned me into a villain. I failed the test that society set for me,” he said, adding that this sense of guilt led him to apply for voluntary retirement (VRS).
The retired bureaucrat revealed that while serving as Principal Secretary (Political) in the Jagan government in 2020, he received a file from the DGP’s office recommending disciplinary action against AB Venkateswara Rao.
“I approved the process without giving it proper thought, believing the DGP office’s version. Now I realise that was a mistake,” he said.
Technically, what ABV had done might be wrong, but morally and ethically, there was no mistake on his part, the former IAS officer said.
Praveen Prakash also admitted wrongdoing in the case of IRS officer Jasti Krishna Kishore, extending his apologies to both officers for the distress caused to them.
“This apology will give me a lot of relief, though I cannot restore the dignity and prestige to the two officers who had suffered because of my action,” he said.