Ex-secretary moves Punjab and Haryana HC, claims VB investigation without sanction

CHANDIGARH: Following the state vigilance bureau’s (SVB) move to seek sanction to prosecute Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) former secretary and retired Haryana IAS officer as well as others for corruption in recruitment during his tenure in the commission, he has approached the Punjab and Haryana high court against it.
In his plea, Hardeep Singh, who retired as IAS on November 30, 2022, has sought directions to quash the August 29, 2022, letter written by SP, SVB, to Haryana chief secretary seeking prosecution sanction against him.
The allegations against Singh pertain to recruitment carried out from 2001-2004 in HPSC. At that time Hardeep Singh was an HCS officer and served as secretary of the HPSC. The allegations in the said FIR, registered by the SVB Hisar on October 18, 2005, were related to the recruitment of lecturers for college cadre and Panniwala Mota Engineering College.
In his plea, that is expected to come up for hearing before the HC after the vacations, it has been alleged that the letter seeking prosecution sanction on August 29, 2022, for an alleged occurrence of 2001 for which the FIR was registered in 2005, is illegal.
"My name is not in the FIR and while acting as secretary, HPSC, I did not act in any different manner for any motive or objective other than that of the secretaries..." he has stated in the plea.
He has mainly contended that there is no dispute that the investigation of the case was carried out by the investigating agency from July 26, 2018 to August 29, 2022, and mandate of Section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act not complied with. He has submitted that the law provides that investigation could not be carried without approval or prior sanction of the state government.
On the allegations that the answer sheets in which major irregularities were found, were sent to the examiners though the methods contrary to the rules, he has stated that the answer scripts were dispatched to the examiners by different modes like in person, Indian post, railway parcel etc, depending upon the distance, bulk and urgency without compromising the secrecy at all the levels and stages.
He has also argued that the files related to the recruitment were never routed during his tenure as secretary, HPSC, thus, he cannot be held liable for the same.