‘The worst is over. Storm has passed away. I have weathered the storm. At least for the next two years, my position is secure.’ These could be the thoughts going through ADGP Intelligence Davidson Devasirvatham’s mind following the verdict by Justice GR Swaminathan in a Writ Petition.
Justice Swaminathan, a known RSS man who wears the RSS badge proudly in his robe, happily jumped in to help. But the stench of the modus he adopted is unbearable.
Suresh Kumar, a native of Madurai approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, through a writ petition seeking a direction to Regional Passport Officer and Q Branch CID, for issuance of passport. The Q Branch had earlier objected to issuance of passport to Suresh Kumar, suspecting that he might be involved in the investigation of fake passports in Cr. No. 1/2019.
After investigation it was found that Suresh is not involved and the Q Branch had nothing to object. This is a simple writ petition which should have been disposed off.
But, Justice Swaminathan decided to go an extra mile and save a person under investigation. He says, his conscience doesn’t permit him to leave the matter as it is. He takes refuge of the Chief Justice’s order allotting him the General Miscellaneous portfolio. He took refuge precisely due to his conscience it seems.
After clumsily discussing the investigation of the case based on status report, Justice GR Swaminathan, like modern day Sherlock Homes concludes that only junior level officers in police, passport and postal department indulged in this scam. In his eagerness to put a fullstop to any further investigation against Davidson, Justice Swaminathan, gives a clean chit. By the way who is he to give a clean chit ?
Justice Swaminathan wrote in his judgement as follows “ One can note that that the buck stops with the nodal officer. The involvement of the officials above the said rank may not really arise. During the relevant time, Shri.S.Davidson Devasirvatham, IPS was the Commissioner of Police, Madurai City. Had the final report been filed before the public interest litigation was instituted in the year 2021 ; had the time limit laid down by the Hon’ble Division Bench been adhered to ; had the sanctioning authorities accorded sanction without delay, the present controversy would not have arisen at all. I give a clean chit to Shri.S.Davidson Devasirvatham IPS”
Does this reads like a judgment ? Fine let’s move on.
Late Chief Minister Selvi J Jayalalitha in late 2010, in a public meeting, announced pilgrimage for christians to Jerusalem. Subsequently on 20 December 2011, she announced that the scheme will be implemented from next year. 500 christians will benefit from the scheme she said, during a Christmas celebration.
Davidson was in the state Intelligence as Deputy Inspector General of Police in 2012. Davidson has a keen eye for business. Coming from a business community in south, Davidson all along his service had used his position to indulge in business. He had been indulging in real estate business from his days as Superintendent of Police. A few years back, probably in 2016, there was a news item in a gossip column in Dinakaran daily that Davidson had sold house plots to numerous young IPS officers somewhere near Avadi and there was 12 feet water during the 2015 floods. The land buyers got worried as the real estate value plummeted. On verification it was found that the entire news item was true.
Coming back to the passport scam, being in Intelligence, Davidson was privy to information about file movement, fund allocation and the methodology to implement the scheme.
Davidson asked his wife Ms. Junitha Ebenezer to start a travel agency. A travel agency in the name and style of Journey Travels and Tours was functioning from No. 4, Perumal Koil Street, Nerkundram, Chennai. One Judah Robin was running this business. After Jayalalitha announced the Jerusalem package, facilitation and smooth issuance of passports and visas was promised and Davidson’s wife Ms. Junaitha took over Journey Travels and Tours in due course add sources. After she took over, official organs were used to ensure smooth clearance of passports.
The office in first floor that was locked from October 2019
The firm opened a website with the domain name www.journeytime.in The email used for registering this domain is “junitha@journeytimes.in. The mobile number used for purchasing and renewing this domain is the personal phone number of Ms Jenitha Ebenezer, Wife of Davidson Devasirvatham. Phone number withheld to protect privacy.
This author visited the Nerkundram office. Enquiries made in around the locality reveal that Exactly during the month of October 2019, this firm shut its operations from the Nerkundram office. A person named Vasanth Ranjith Singh was incharge of this office. Several people from Hyderabad and other places used to visit the office in search of Ranjith Singh. Ranjith Singh was withholding their passport, it was told. There was rent arrears also.
Sources close to Davidson say, he had told his well wishers and friends that Travel agency was closed down due to Covid. No. There is more to it.
On 24th March 2020, Modi announced nationwide lockdown. The firm was closed in October 2019. FIR in Q Branch CID in the fake passport case was registered on 27.09.2019. Connect the dots.
A casual search in the who is details for the domain journeytime.in says the domain is available for sale. While the domain is shown as “The domain is not registered” the server entry shows that there were 8 changes on 2 unique name servers over 9 years. Our curiosity increased.
Digital track can never be erased. We managed to dig out the hidden domain registration details. The domain was continuously registered for 13 years using 2 different addresses. The first address is PT Road, Near Seven Road Junction, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 624101. The second address used is No. 14/1, Abdul Karim Cross Street, Chennai, India 60005.
A visit to the address in Chennai by this author reveal that a travel agency named Airways Travel is functioning there. Even at 11.30 am, the shutters were down. No information was forthcoming.
The Travel agency in Chepauk, which is used for domain registraiton.
Now the question is there is no doubt that the domain belongs to Ms. Junitha Ebenezer, Wife of Davidson. She has given her number for the registration. But, why would she use two different addresses rather than the one in which the travel agency is functioning remains a mystery.
And why would a business shut down allegedly due to Covid, fail to renew their domain name. According to highly placed sources, though the Nerkundram office of the Journey Tours and Travels is closed for more than 3 years, the travel agency of Ms. Junitha Ebenezer is functioning somewhere in Chennai.
The running of the travel agency in his wife’s name is a clear conflict of interest for Mr. Davidson Devasirvatham. Being a Commissioner he turned a Nelson’s eye to the issuance of fraudulent Police Verification Report for more than 200 passports. It was Mr. Davidson who protected his blue eyed boy AC IS Sivakumar whose misdeeds in PVR was known to the entire Madurai police force. And this is the same officer who is vouched by none other than a High Court judge.
To learn in detail about the efforts of Davidson in scuttling the investigation in Cr. No. 1/2019 read here.
Davidson’s strange behaviour in protecting AC IS Sivakumar raised many eyebrows. But Davidson went out of the way in protecting Sivakumar that he himself got exposed. Several officers whom this author spoke were perplexed as to why Davidson risks his neck for an ordinary DSP.
If Sivakumar is fixed, he will open up the role of Davidson’s wife Ms. Junitha Ebenezer.
Highly placed sources say, following the complaint of TN BJP President Annamalai about TN Governor and former Deputy NSA Ravi, used his old contacts and got the allegations against Davidson verified and has sent a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Governor, giving a long rope to the DMK government and in all probability may send a report about the continuance of the government itself citing national security concerns.
The passport scam is not the only national security issue that is plaguing the state. Recently
Sources also add that, MHA has decided to register a fresh suo motu case by the National Investigative Agency, based on the fake passports numbering around 70 seized at a secret hide out at Chennai, as part of the searched of NIA at Trichy Special Camp.
Both the Trichy camp issue and fake passport issue carry the potential for dismissal of the government using national security. It will be a repeat of dismissal of Karunanidhi government in January 1990. Why MK Stalin is sticking his neck out to save Davidson when his own government is in peril perplexes many.
Apart from the role of ADGP Intelligence Davidson, the central agencies are conducting a secret probe against Madras HC Justice GR Swaminathan. When the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs are contemplating a comprehensive probe, Justice Swaminathan has concluded the investigation with a judgement. His transfer out of the Madras High Court is on the cards, add sources.
Every minute of the continuance of Mr. Davidson as Intelligence Chief is a serious compromise on national security as he is in a position of power and can very well destroy evidence. He has a track record of erasing the domain registration details from digital world.
This is enough for now.
The next part of our investigation into the Fake Passport Scam will take us to London.
Disclosure : Justice GR Swaminathan has initiated a suo motu contempt against this author, details of which can be read here
