Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ended the suspension of senior IAS officer Sanjeev Hans, clearing the way for his reappointment in the state government. The General Administration Department issued an official order revoking his suspension on Monday.
The decision came after the Patna High Court granted conditional bail to Sanjeev Hans in a corruption and money laundering case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). With the suspension lifted, discussions have now begun regarding his new posting, and government sources indicate that he may soon be assigned charge of an important department, considering his seniority and experience.
Arrest, Jail Term and ED Probe
Sanjeev Hans, a former Principal Secretary of the Energy Department, was arrested by the ED in October 2024 in connection with alleged irregularities in the tender process for installing prepaid smart meters in Bihar. He was accused of demanding bribes and misappropriation of funds.
The ED alleged that around Rs 100 crore was siphoned off and named five accused, including Gulab Yadav. A charge sheet running into 20,000 pages was filed in the case. Following his arrest, Hans remained in judicial custody at Beur Jail, Patna, for nearly a year.
Based on a proposal from the Bihar government, the Central Ministry of Personnel and Training had approved his suspension with effect from October 18, 2024.
Court Relief: Conditional Bail Granted
In October 2025, the Patna High Court granted conditional bail to Sanjeev Hans. The court directed him not to leave the country and to appear regularly during hearings.
His counsel, Dr Farooq Khan, stated that the court found serious shortcomings in the prosecution’s case and noted the absence of concrete evidence showing that Hans had personally benefited from the alleged crime. On this basis, bail was granted.
In the same case, three accused linked to private companies involved in the tender process were also granted bail after spending around 10 months in jail.
From Engineering to Top Bureaucracy
Born on October 19, 1973, in Punjab, Sanjeev Hans comes from a family with a strong administrative background. His father, Naveen Kishore Sinha, was a PCS-rank officer.
After completing B.Tech in Civil Engineering, Hans cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination (1997 batch). He joined the IAS on April 21, 1998, after completing training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, and was allotted the Bihar cadre.
Administrative Career: SDM to Principal Secretary
Sanjeev Hans began his career as SDM in Banka district and later served as District Magistrate in several districts. Over the years, he held several key positions, including –
- Principal Secretary, Energy Department
- Managing Director, Bihar State Power Holding Company
He is regarded as an experienced administrator with a long tenure in Bihar’s governance system.
Reappointment Seen as Significant Move
With the suspension revoked, the path is now clear for Sanjeev Hans’s reposting in the Bihar government. Sources say the decision to reinstate him is significant from both administrative and political perspectives.
While his rise from an engineering graduate to a senior IAS officer is often cited as inspirational, his involvement in corruption-related cases has also made his career a subject of intense scrutiny.
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