Uttarakhand IAS officer Varun Chaudhary has landed in serious trouble after the state government recommended his dismissal over his alleged role in the ₹54-crore Haridwar land scam.
The Pushkar Singh Dhami government has taken strong action in the case, accusing officials of purchasing land worth around ₹15 crore for ₹54 crore for a municipal garbage dumping yard in Haridwar.
Who is Varun Chaudhary?
Varun Chaudhary is a 2017-batch IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre.
He served as Haridwar Municipal Commissioner and City Magistrate and was among the key officials involved in the controversial land deal now under vigilance scrutiny.
His administrative decisions during the transaction have become central to the investigation.
What is the Haridwar Land Scam?
The case revolves around the purchase of 2.3070 hectares of land for Haridwar Municipal Corporation’s garbage disposal site.
Investigators found that the land, initially valued at around ₹15 crore as agricultural property, was converted into commercial land under Section 143 and sold to the municipal corporation for ₹54 crore.
The entire process—from land-use conversion to agreement signing—was completed within an unusually short period, triggering allegations of collusion and procedural manipulation.
Government Recommends Major Action
Following the vigilance probe, the Uttarakhand government has recommended dismissal proceedings against Varun Chaudhary and major penalty action against the then District Magistrate Karmendra Singh.
The government has also ordered the stoppage of three salary increments of then SDM Ajayveer Singh and initiated censure action.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has approved criminal proceedings against 10 accused linked to the scam.
Key Questions Under Investigation
One of the biggest unanswered questions in the case is who advised the landowners to convert the agricultural land into commercial property, causing its valuation to jump dramatically within days.
Officials say the farmers had initially sought only ₹15 crore for the land.
However, after conversion, the land’s value shot up to nearly ₹54 crore, and the municipal corporation proceeded with the purchase.
Multiple Officials and Sellers Named
Alongside Varun Chaudhary, several other officials and private land sellers have been named for action under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Prevention of Corruption Act.
The accused include municipal officials, engineering staff, clerical staff and the land sellers involved in the transaction.
Earlier Proposal Had Been Rejected
Interestingly, officials revealed that the same land had earlier been proposed for purchase but was rejected by former Haridwar District Magistrate Dheeraj Singh Garbyal, who refused to clear the transaction.
This earlier rejection has further raised questions over how the deal was eventually revived and executed.
With vigilance findings now in place and dismissal proceedings underway, the Haridwar land scam has become one of Uttarakhand’s biggest administrative corruption cases in recent years.
