Chandigarh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named six Haryana-cadre IAS officers among 19 accused in its third chargesheet in the alleged ₹504-crore misappropriation of Haryana government funds involving IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. The chargesheet was filed before the Special CBI Court in Panchkula on September 2.
The latest filing takes the total number of accused chargesheeted in the case to 37. The six IAS officers named are Mohammed Shayin (IAS:2002: HY), Saket Kumar (IAS: 2005: HY), Pardeep Kumar, Vineet Garg (IAS: 1991: HY), Ram Kumar Singh (IAS: 2012: HY) and Pankaj Agarwal (IAS: 2000: HY). The chargesheet also names three IDFC First Bank officials, one AU Small Finance Bank official and nine other Haryana government officials.
Six IAS Officers Named in Third Chargesheet
The CBI has alleged different roles for the six officers in connection with the handling and movement of government funds.
According to the chargesheet, Vineet Garg, then chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), and Pardeep Kumar, then its member secretary, were allegedly involved in opening and operating HSPCB accounts with IDFC First Bank. The agency has alleged that funds were concentrated in the bank despite a ₹50-crore ceiling prescribed by the Haryana Finance Department.
Mohammed Shayin, who was associated with the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL), has been accused by the CBI of being involved in opening an account with IDFC First Bank and depositing ₹50 crore.
Ram Kumar Singh, then Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, has been accused of allegedly issuing cheques from a government account that the agency claims were subsequently misappropriated.
Pankaj Agarwal, then chairman of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, has been accused in connection with accounts maintained by the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad and HSAMB.
Saket Kumar, then associated with the Development and Panchayats Department, has been accused of involvement in opening a bank account for the Panchayat Department with IDFC First Bank.
How the CBI Says the Funds Were Diverted
The CBI has alleged that public funds belonging to eight Haryana government departments and organisations were shifted from empanelled banks to selected branches of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank.
The agency alleges that this was done in violation of financial prudence and fraud-prevention guidelines issued by the Haryana Finance Department. The funds were subsequently allegedly transferred to third parties unrelated to the government departments and routed through multiple bank accounts before being converted into cash.
The eight affected departments and organisations are:
- Department of Panchayat
- Municipal Corporations of Panchkula and Kalka
- Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad
- Haryana Labour Welfare Board
- Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board
- Haryana State Pollution Control Board
- Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited
The CBI has put the alleged fraud involving these Haryana entities at ₹504 crore.
CBI Lists 54 Searches and 26 Arrests
Before this chargesheet, the CBI had filed chargesheets against 18 other accused, including bank officials, government employees, private individuals and companies. With the latest filing, 37 accused have been chargesheeted in the case.
The agency has so far conducted 54 searches, arrested 26 accused and seized incriminating material, including gold valued at approximately ₹20 crore, according to the CBI’s case details.
Two Chandigarh Cases Also Under CBI Probe
The investigation has also expanded to two related cases involving Chandigarh Administration accounts. One concerns Chandigarh Smart City Limited and the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, while the other relates to the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST).
The CBI has already filed chargesheets in both cases. Including the alleged fraud in these Chandigarh-related cases, the overall amount under investigation has been reported as ₹657 crore, compared with ₹504 crore attributed to the eight Haryana government departments in the present chargesheet.
The allegations against the officers and other accused are part of the ongoing CBI investigation and have not been established as facts by a court. The agency has said the investigation remains open against other suspects and accused.
