R. V. S. Mani

R. V. S. Mani
Born
Ramaswamy Venkata Subra Mani

(1959-10-29) 29 October 1959 [1]
Delhi
Alma materUniversity of Delhi
University of Manchester
OccupationsFormer civil servant, author and visiting professor
Awards Padma Shri (2026)

Ramaswamy Venkata Subra Mani (born 29 October 1959), commonly known as R. V. S. Mani is an Indian former civil servant, author and visiting professor. A member of the Central Secretariat Service, he served as an Under Secretary to Government of India in the Internal Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and later as a Deputy Secretary (Finance) at the Ministry of Textiles.[1][2]

He is best known as a whistleblower in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter killing. He was the officer who signed two affidavits in the case, filed on 6 August 2009 and 30 September 2009. The first affidavit stated that the four victims were terrorists, while the second contradicted this and suggested a lack of clear evidence. In 2016, he alleged that he had been ordered to sign the second affidavit, and that the SIT chief Satish Verma had tortured him with cigarette stubs during his examination in 2013. He alleged that it was a fake encounter and that the Congress-led UPA government wanted to implicate Gujarat intelligence officers.[3][4][5] He later turned author, and has written several books against the narrative of Hindu terrorism, propagated during the UPA government.[6][5]

In 2026, he was awarded the Padma Shri, fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India for civil service, by Government of India.[7] He is one of only two recipients[8] to receive the honor in the civil service category that year.[8]

Early life and education

Mani was born and brought up in Delhi, as his father K.R. Ramaswamy served in the Ministry of Home Affairs.[5] He holds a master's degree in sociology, an LL.B. from the University of Delhi, and an M.Sc. in Human Resource Development from the University of Manchester.[9][5]

Career

Mani was a member of the Central Secretariat Service and held assignments in several Union government ministries. He served as an under-secretary in the Internal Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs from 2006 to 2010.[1] Early on in his Mani involved post-blast responsibilities following the 2006 Varanasi bombings at Varanasi cantonment and the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, and worked in the Home Ministry control room during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[1] During his tenure at the Home ministry the document he created on the Status of Internal Security of India, later became a Manual for all the Divisions in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) dealing with sensitive cases.[1] In 2014, he served in the Ministry of Urban Development,[10] 2017 he became deputy secretary in the Ministry of Textiles.[2]

Ishrat Jahan affidavits

In 2009, while serving in the Home Ministry, Mani signed two Union government affidavits filed before the Gujarat High Court in proceedings concerning the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter killing along with three men. The first affidavit, dated 6 August 2009, cited central intelligence inputs that described the four as being associated with a Lashkar-e-Taiba module. A supplementary affidavit filed in late September stated that intelligence inputs did not by themselves constitute conclusive proof, that the Union government did not condone unjustified or excessive action, and that it would not oppose an independent inquiry or an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).[11][12]

Mani later said that he had drafted the first affidavit under the guidance of senior officers, but had not drafted the supplementary affidavit and had signed and filed it because he was acting under official orders.[13][11] In a 2016 statement in Parliament, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the supplementary affidavit had been vetted by the attorney general and approved by then home minister P. Chidambaram, while the file notings did not record a reason for revising the government's position.[11]

In 2013, Mani complained to his superiors that Satish Verma, a member of the court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) assisting the CBI, had attempted to coerce him into signing a statement implicating senior Intelligence Bureau officials. The CBI denied that Mani had been forced to sign any statement.[14] In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court in 2014, Mani alleged that CBI officers had subsequently harassed, followed and pressured him because he would not implicate his former superiors.[11][10] In 2016, Mani further alleged that Verma had abused him and burned him with cigarettes during questioning in 2013. Verma denied torturing Mani and maintained the investigation team's conclusion that the encounter had been staged.[15][16]

In August 2013, while serving as an under-secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development, Mani sought voluntary retirement from government service. His lawyer attributed the application to alleged harassment following Mani's questioning in the Ishrat Jahan investigation, although Mani's retirement letter did not itself mention harassment.[17]

Writing and academic work

After his retirement from government service, he remained Visiting Processor at Sharda University, Agra.[18] Mani wrote books and articles on internal security, public administration and politics. In 2018 he published, The Myth of Hindu Terror: Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs 2006–2010 (2018), followed by Deception: A Family That Deceived the Whole Nation in 2021, and When Mani Writes in 2022, s a collection of his previously published articles.[19][20][21]

Honors and awards

Selected works

  • Mani, R. V. S. (2018). The Myth of Hindu Terror: Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs 2006–2010. Vitasta Publishing. ISBN 9789386473271.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Padma Awards 2026: Citation for Shri R. V. S. Mani (Profile)" (PDF). Press Information Bureau, Government of India. June 2026. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Civil List: Central Secretariat Service (Group A Officers), as on 1 January 2017" (PDF). Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India. 2017. p. 81. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Was tortured, told to sign on Ishrat affidavit, claims former bureaucrat". The Times of India. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Jain, Bharti (3 March 2016). "MHA ex-babu says he was asked to falsify 1st Ishrat affidavit". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Who Is Eminent Bureaucrat R.V.S. Mani? Former CSS Officer Conferred Padma Shri on Republic Day 2026". Indian Masterminds. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Former MHA Under Secy RVS Mani thanks PM Modi for being conferred with Padma Shri, slams Congress". ANI News. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Padma Awardees: 2026" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). 25 January 2026. pp. 1–8. Retrieved 26 June 2026. 94. Shri R V S Mani
  8. 1 2 "Padma Awards 2026 announced". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Prof. R. V. S. Mani". Sharda University Agra. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 Anand, Utkarsh (12 September 2014). "'Chased' by CBI for refusing to frame seniors, former MHA official tells SC". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Jain, Bharti (27 January 2026). "On Padma rolls is man who 'exposed' UPA on Ishrat case". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "IB officer behind affidavit declaring Ishrat Jahan a terrorist: CBI". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Was tortured, told to sign on Ishrat affidavit, claims former bureaucrat". The Times of India. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "CBI coercing me to sign statements on Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case: Former MHA official RVS Mani". India Today. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Jain, Bharti (3 March 2016). "MHA ex-babu says he was asked to falsify 1st Ishrat affidavit". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "'It's a fake encounter': former member of SIT that probed Ishrat killing". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ex-MHA official linked to Ishrat case seeks retirement, cites harassment". The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Visiting Professor,". Sharda University Agra. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "When Mani writes: "Hindu terror" whistle blower unravels complex contemporary internal security and political scenario". WorldCat. OCLC. 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "When Mani Writes". Garuda Prakashan. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Thakur, Dr. Mahender (18 January 2022). "A family that deceived India". PGurus. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Padma Awards 2026 announced". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
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