New Delhi/Chandigarh: Suspended Haryana cadre IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal (2000 batch) has moved a bail application before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in connection with the alleged ₹657 crore IDFC First Bank scam, asserting that he neither demanded nor accepted any bribe and had no role in the alleged financial fraud.
The bail plea is scheduled to be heard on July 30.
IAS Agarwal, who was arrested by the CBI last month, is among three senior IAS officers jailed in connection with the alleged scam involving the deposit of government funds in a private bank and the subsequent alleged fraudulent transactions.
‘No Evidence Against Me,’ Says IAS Officer
In his bail application, Agarwal has claimed that the CBI has failed to produce any evidence directly linking him to the alleged fraud.
He argued that his role as a senior administrative officer was limited to granting administrative approvals to proposals processed and submitted by subordinate officials.
According to the petition, the proposal to open the Haryana School Education Project Council’s account with IDFC First Bank originated from subordinate officers, while the deposits into the account were also made based on official proposals.
Mr Agarwal further pointed out that his signature does not appear on the bank account opening form, contending that this demonstrates he was not directly involved in opening the account.
Read also: Haryana Suspends IAS Officer Pankaj Agarwal After CBI Arrest in ₹657-Crore IDFC First Bank Scam
Claims He Was Unaware of Fraudulent Transactions
The suspended IAS officer has maintained that he had no knowledge of any irregularities at the time the account was opened.
He stated that he was never informed about any alleged fraudulent withdrawal of government funds from the department’s account maintained with IDFC First Bank.
The bail application also refers to the removal of the ₹50 crore transaction limit at a later stage, arguing that this development weakens the prosecution’s claim that the administrative decisions taken earlier were illegal or facilitated the alleged fraud.
Denies Accepting Any Bribe
In his plea, Agarwal has categorically denied any allegations of corruption.
He has stated before the court that he never demanded any bribe nor accepted illegal gratification from any person, while asserting that no material evidence has been produced to establish his involvement in any criminal conspiracy.
CBI’s Allegations
At the time of his arrest, the CBI alleged that Pankaj Agarwal played a significant role in facilitating the opening of bank accounts for the Haryana School Education Project Council as well as the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board with IDFC First Bank.
The investigating agency claimed that Agarwal was aware of an alleged fraudulent transaction worth ₹60.54 croreinvolving government funds.
The case forms part of the larger ₹657 crore IDFC First Bank scam, in which government funds were allegedly routed through private bank accounts in violation of established financial procedures.
Three IAS Officers Arrested
The alleged multi-crore scam surfaced last month after investigators found that substantial government funds had allegedly been deposited in a private bank in a planned manner.
So far, three IAS officers have been arrested in connection with the case:
- Pankaj Agarwal (IAS:2000:Haryana)
- Pradeep Kumar Singh
- R.K. Singh
The investigation is being carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing allegations of financial irregularities, abuse of official position and criminal conspiracy.
About Pankaj Agarwal
Mr Agarwal is a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre. Born on September 28, 1974, he holds a graduate degree along with an M.Sc.
During his administrative career, he has served in several important positions, including:
- Principal Secretary
- Chief Electoral Officer
- Managing Director
- Director General
- Secretary
- Labour Commissioner
- State Project Director
- Deputy Commissioner
- Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO
- Administrator
- Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO)
- Commissioner
- Project Director
He was placed under suspension on June 27, 2026, following developments in the investigation.
The CBI court will now consider his bail application on July 30, while the agency continues its investigation into one of Haryana’s biggest alleged banking and government fund diversion cases.
