Eight months after retired IAS officer Satya Gopal stepped down as the chairman of the Punjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), a retired IRS officer, Rakesh Kumar Goyal, has been appointed as the new chief. Goyal’s appointment was confirmed on Monday, following a series of events that have drawn attention from various quarters, including the legal arena.
Goyal, who was initially appointed as a RERA member in December 2022 during Satya Gopal’s tenure as chairman, had taken leave following Gopal’s resignation. He later rejoined the authority. Both Goyal and Gopal are said to have close ties with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal. Their initial appointments in Punjab RERA had sparked criticism from the Opposition, which accused the AAP government of favoring Delhi-based officials for key positions in Punjab.
Goyal’s appointment as chairman is not without controversy, as it is subject to the outcome of a legal case filed by IAS officer Malwinder Singh Jaggi. Jaggi, a 2005-batch IAS officer currently serving as administrative secretary for information and public relations, challenged the government’s decision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court after his own application for the RERA chairman post was rejected on grounds of ineligibility. Jaggi, who had temporarily overseen RERA after Gopal’s resignation, argues that he was unfairly excluded from consideration.
The government’s process for filling the chairman position involved receiving 16 applications and shortlisting two candidates: Goyal and retired IRS officer Parneet Sachdeva, who currently serves as chairperson of Haryana RERA. Ultimately, Goyal was selected for the role, with his tenure set for five years or until he turns 65, whichever comes first.
Goyal, a 1989-batch IRS officer, holds degrees in law (LLB and LLM) from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He has served in various important roles across multiple states, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and West Bengal. Notably, he worked as the Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for over five years, overseeing operations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, with additional responsibilities in Jammu & Kashmir. Goyal is also an accomplished author, having written books on the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in three languages. His international experience includes serving as a Tax Inspector Without Borders (TIWB) for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Seychelles.
