Chandigarh: The Haryana government has assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that former IAS officer D Suresh (IAS:1995:HY) will be given seven days’ advance notice if his custody is required during the investigation into a criminal case registered against him and eight other accused.
The undertaking was given before the High Court after Suresh, a senior Haryana-cadre IAS officer who retired from service on August 31, 2026, approached the court challenging the FIR registered against him by the Haryana Police.
The matter came up before a Bench of Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya on August 31, with the court subsequently listing the case for further hearing on October 16, 2026.
FIR Registered Against Ex-IAS Officer D Suresh
The Haryana Police registered an FIR on August 26 against nine accused, including D Suresh.
Suresh subsequently approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the registration of the FIR.
His petition came up for hearing before Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya’s Bench on August 31, the same day on which the senior IAS officer superannuated from government service.
During the proceedings, Suresh raised concerns regarding the timing of the FIR and its possible impact on his retirement benefits.
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Suresh Alleges FIR Was Intended to Affect Retirement Benefits
In his petition before the High Court, D Suresh submitted that he was due to retire from service on August 31 and alleged that the FIR had been registered with the intention of preventing him from receiving his retirement benefits.
The allegation was made in the context of the timing of the criminal case, which was registered just days before his scheduled superannuation.
The state government, however, disputed any allegation of mala fide intent and placed before the court the sequence of events leading to registration of the FIR.
Haryana Govt Explains Timeline of FIR
The Haryana government told the High Court that the process for registering the FIR had begun well before the actual registration of the case.
According to the state government’s submission, sanction for registration of the FIR was received from the government on July 29, 2026.
The sanction was subsequently forwarded to the Vigilance Bureau, Gurugram, on August 3.
The draft FIR was then sent to the Vigilance Bureau’s head office on August 13 and was approved on August 25.
The FIR was finally registered on August 26, according to the state government’s submissions before the High Court.
The government maintained that the entire process had followed the prescribed procedure and rejected allegations of mala fide.
Government Says No Mala Fide Involved
Representing the Haryana government, counsel told the Bench that the sequence of events demonstrated that the FIR was not hurriedly registered merely because Suresh was approaching retirement.
The state government’s position was that the requisite approval had been obtained nearly a month before the FIR was actually registered.
The government therefore maintained that due procedure had been followed and there was no mala fide involved in the registration of the case.
Haryana Govt Gives 7-Day Advance Notice Undertaking
During the proceedings, the state’s counsel made an important submission concerning the possibility of arrest or custodial interrogation.
The counsel stated that if the custody of D Suresh is required during the investigation, he will be issued seven days’ advance notice.
The undertaking provides the retired IAS officer with advance notice in the event investigators determine that his custody is necessary as the probe progresses.
High Court Lists Matter for October 16
Following the submissions, the High Court did not finally decide the issues raised in Suresh’s petition.
The state counsel accepted notice on behalf of the respondents and sought time to file a reply.
The Bench subsequently listed the matter for hearing on October 16, 2026.
The case will therefore come up again before the High Court after the state files its response to the petition.
D Suresh Retired on August 31
The case coincided with the end of Suresh’s tenure in government service.
A 1995-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, D Suresh retired from service on August 31, 2026.
The High Court had taken up the matter earlier on August 27, while his petition was heard before Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya’s Bench on August 31.
The timing of the FIR and his retirement formed an important part of the submissions made by the petitioner before the court.
Case Timeline
The sequence of events presented before the High Court shows that the FIR process unfolded over several weeks before the actual registration.
- July 29, 2026: Government sanction for registration of the FIR was received.
- August 3, 2026: Sanction was forwarded to the Vigilance Bureau, Gurugram.
- August 13, 2026: Draft FIR was sent to the head office.
- August 25, 2026: Draft FIR was approved.
- August 26, 2026: Haryana Police registered the FIR against nine accused.
- August 27, 2026: The High Court took up the matter.
- August 31, 2026: D Suresh retired from service, and his petition was heard by Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya’s Bench.
- October 16, 2026: Matter listed for the next hearing.
Key Takeaway
The Haryana government has assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that former 1995-batch IAS officer D Suresh will receive seven days’ advance notice if his custody is required during the investigation. Suresh is challenging an FIR registered against him and eight others on August 26, days before his retirement on August 31.
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