Haryana State Vigilance Bureau has registered 246 cases, including 170 traps, on the graft charges in 2022 — the highest during the past 10 years.
In the bygone year, the Bureau has conducted 170 raids and recovered Rs 6.21 crores (6,21,70,230) on the spot and after search property; and arrested 193 government servants, including 27 gazetted officers, 166 non-gazetted officials, and 27 private individuals.
Sharing the information, Haryana State Vigilance Bureau’s director-general Shatrujeet Kapur said that out of 246 cases, 170 were registered on raids or trap and 76 cases were registered on enquiries or special checkings. On an average, 18 public servants were arrested on corruption charges every month.
Informing how the Vigilance has been able to crackdown on such a large number of corrupt officials in the past year, Kapur said that the Vigilance Bureau has shifted its focus from junior-level staff like clerks, patwaris, linemen, police personnel etc to senior ranks, who are often the kingpins in running organized corruption rackets. “The remarkable spurt in the number of raids and arrests of senior government officials is being seen as a clean-up act by the Bureau under the directives of the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar as a part of his zero-tolerance policy towards rooting out corruption at all levels,” he said.
Highlighting the arrests of some high-ranking officials, he informed that one District Town Planner was caught red-handed taking Rs five lakhs bribe and co-accused Tehsildar was also arrested, while a Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner was caught red-handed taking Rs 50,000 as bribe and a Jail Superintendent has also been arrested in a trap case.
Apart from these, five HCS officers were arrested during the year on corruption charges. Further, two Chief Engineers, one Superintending Engineer and one Executive Engineer, a Chief Accounts Officer and One Joint Director of the Urban Local Bodies department have been arrested for siphoning off public funds.
He revealed that 46 police personnel — including two Inspector or SHOs, a retired DSP of Rajasthan Police, and another Inspector working as MVO in Karnal, 33 officers or officials of the Revenue Department, 24 of Power Utilities, 14 of Urban Local Bodies, five of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs, five of Transport, four of Education Department, three each of Excise and Taxation, Cooperation, Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board, Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board, Horticulture, Town and Country Planning; two each of Health, HSVP, Mining and Geology, State Pollution Control Board, Social Justice and Empowerment, Irrigation, Forest and 15 of other departments like Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Employment, Fisheries, Food and Drugs Administration, Home Guards, Housing Board, HPHC, Industry and Commerce, etc were nabbed red-handed while taking bribes ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs five lakh in separate cases.
During its ongoing crusade against corruption in 2022, the Bureau has registered 65 enquiries against 22 gazetted officers, 23 non-gazetted officials and 12 private persons on the direction of the state government. During the year, 90 enquiries were finalized.
Out of 90 enquiries completed during 2022, the Bureau has recommended registration of criminal case against 27 gazetted officers, 32 non-gazetted officials and 23 private persons, in 20 enquires and departmental action against 36 gazetted officers, eight non-gazetted officials, in 14 enquiries. Registration of criminal cases along with departmental action against five gazetted officers, 14 non-gazetted officials, and one private persons, in eight enquiries.