5 days before retirement, Haryana IAS officer faces corruption FIR

The ACB has booked IAS officer D Suresh and eight others in an alleged Gurugram land scam. The FIR's timing before his retirement and the High Court's interim relief have intensified scrutiny.

In Short

• FIR says Sector 23 plot was transferred for just Rs 6.71 lakh
• HSVP had resumed the 1988 allotment in 2002 over unpaid dues
• Vigilance probe alleges forged note sheets cited another plot's court order

A major corruption case has triggered a stir in Haryana's administrative circles, with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registering an FIR against senior IAS officer D Suresh just five days before his retirement.

The FIR, registered on August 26 after approval from the Chief Secretary, names the 1995-batch IAS officer and eight others in connection with an alleged Rs 3.5 crore land scam involving a 500-square-yard plot in Gurugram's Sector 23.

PLOT WORTH CRORES ALLEGEDLY HANDED OVER FOR RS 6.71 LAKH

According to the FIR, the HSVP plot had an estimated market value of around Rs 3.5 crore, while its collector rate was around Rs 1.75 crore. However, the plot was allegedly transferred for just Rs 6.71 lakh.

The case reportedly dates back to a plot allotted in 1988 that was later declared a default case. The Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) had reportedly resumed the plot in 2002 after dues remained unpaid.

The FIR alleges that during a vigilance investigation spanning nearly seven years, it emerged that officials and clerical staff prepared forged note sheets by relying on a court order concerning the restoration of a different plot.

ROLE OF THEN CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR UNDER SCANNER

The FIR alleges that in March 2019, D Suresh, who was then serving as HSVP's Chief Administrator, cancelled the resumption of the defaulted plot and subsequently facilitated the execution of a conveyance deed at a substantially lower value.

The action allegedly caused a loss of crores of rupees to the government exchequer. Former estate officer Mukesh Kumar is among the other accused named in the case, with nine people booked in total.

The accused have been booked under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections related to cheating and forgery, according to the FIR.

HIGH COURT GRANTS INTERIM RELIEF

The case took another turn after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted interim relief to D Suresh. The court directed that he be given at least seven days' notice before being taken into custody. The next hearing has been scheduled for October 16.

The FIR comes shortly before Suresh's retirement on August 31, adding to the attention surrounding the case.

The senior bureaucrat had also recently been in the spotlight for his public stand in the high-profile suicide case involving IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. Suresh had raised questions over the role of the then DGP and several other officials while speaking in support of the deceased officer's family.

The latest ACB action has therefore triggered considerable discussion in Haryana's administrative circles, with the alleged land deal, the timing of the FIR and the involvement of senior officials now under scrutiny.

- Ends
with inputs from Neeraj Vashishtha