Furniture row: Andhra Pradesh chief marshall gets sacked

VIJAYAWADA: The AP assembly on Thursday sacked chief marshall V Ganesh Babu, holding him responsible for shifting the assembly furniture to the residence of former speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao.
Sources in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly told TOI that chief marshall Ganesh Babu was handed over to the police, and action was recommended against him. The assembly also withdrew Ganesh Babu from the services with immediate effect after he admitted to having shifted the furniture.
Assembly secretary P Balakrishnamacharyulu had earlier lodged a complaint with the police on the missing furniture including computers, sofa sets, tables and chairs.As assembly officials began an inquiry, former speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao admitted to have them in his possession. He said he had moved some of the furniture to his camp office, when they were being shifted from Hyderabad. He had been using them since and had written to the assembly to take them back after the elections. Kodela Sivaprasada Rao had also apparently agreed to return the furniture or pay money, whichever is acceptable to the assembly secretariat.
The officials in the assembly found in their initial investigation that Ganesh Babu was personally present when the furniture was shifted to Kodela’s house. Sources said that Kodela, as speaker, gave a list to Ganesh Babu and saw to it that the items in the list were shifted to his house.
Meanwhile, officials are planning to file a case against Kodela for taking away the furniture of the assembly without any official records, which, according to the officials, amounted to theft.