Hyderabad: Excise Principal Secretary, senior IAS officer Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi’s voluntary retirement accepted by Telangana Chief Secretary on Wednesday. A day after Telangana government notified the voluntary retirement of senior IAS officer Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi reports surfaced about his alleged differences with Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao over high-security liquor hologram tenders.

Minister Jupally Krishna Rao lodged a complaint with the Chief Secretary against Rizvi, accusing him of deliberately delaying the tender process for high-security holograms affixed to sealed liquor bottles.

The delay allegedly allowed an existing vendor operating since 2019 without competition to continue supplying labels used to track liquor from distilleries to retail outlets, a key mechanism to prevent tax evasion and counterfeit sales.

The Minister claimed Rizvi ignored multiple directives between August 2024 and April 2025 to expedite tenders. Despite reminders to issue an Expression of Interest (EoI) through the designated Expert Committee, Rizvi allegedly bypassed ministerial authority by routing files to the Chief Minister.

Even after 23 firms submitted bids by April 2025, the process reportedly remained stalled.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary on Wednesday, the Minister alleged misconduct, urging the Government to reject Rizvi’s VRS and initiate disciplinary action under Section 221 of the BNS for obstructing public service. Rizvi’s voluntary retirement is effective October 31^st.