₹504-Crore Haryana Funds Scam: CBI Chargesheets 19 More, Including Six IAS Officers
The CBI has filed its third chargesheet in the alleged ₹504-crore Haryana government funds case, naming 19 accused, including six IAS officers, bank officials and other government employees.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed its third chargesheet in the alleged ₹504-crore Haryana government funds misappropriation case, widening the scope of a probe that has already put several government officials and banking personnel under the scanner. The latest chargesheet names 19 accused, including six IAS officers belonging to the Haryana cadre, along with bank officials and other government employees.
The chargesheet was filed before the Special CBI Court in Panchkula on Wednesday. With this latest filing, the total number of accused chargesheeted in the Haryana portion of the investigation has reached 37, underlining the scale of the alleged financial irregularities and the number of people the agency believes may have played different roles in the suspected diversion of government money.
Six IAS Officers Among 19 Named
The latest chargesheet includes six Haryana-cadre IAS officers among the 19 accused. Besides the senior administrative officers, the agency has also named three officials of IDFC First Bank, one official of AU Small Finance Bank and nine other Haryana government officials.
The CBI’s allegations centre on a suspected network through which funds belonging to different Haryana government departments and organisations were allegedly moved away from their intended accounts. According to the agency, the suspected diversion involved coordination between government officials and bank personnel, with the money eventually being routed through a series of accounts before allegedly reaching unrelated third parties.
The chargesheet represents another major step in the investigation, but the allegations remain subject to judicial scrutiny. Being named or chargesheeted in a criminal case does not by itself establish guilt, and the accused will have the opportunity to contest the allegations before the court.
How Government Funds Were Allegedly Diverted
According to the CBI’s investigation, the suspected scheme involved government funds maintained by eight Haryana departments and public organisations. The agency alleges that money was shifted from empanelled banks to particular branches of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, where accounts were allegedly opened and used as part of the suspected arrangement.
The money was then allegedly moved through several accounts to third parties who had no legitimate connection with the departments concerned. The CBI has further alleged that funds were ultimately withdrawn or converted into cash after being passed through multiple accounts, making it difficult to trace the original source and intended purpose of the money.
The agency has also alleged that the transactions were carried out in violation of financial prudence and anti-fraud safeguards prescribed by the Haryana Finance Department. If established in court, such violations could point to serious failures in financial controls and oversight within the government system.
Eight Haryana Departments and Organisations Under Probe
The alleged financial irregularities involve funds associated with eight Haryana government departments and organisations. These include the Department of Panchayats, Municipal Corporation Panchkula and Municipal Corporation Kalka.
The investigation also covers the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, Haryana Labour Welfare Board, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, Haryana State Pollution Control Board and Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited.
The involvement of such a wide range of departments and public bodies is one reason the case has attracted considerable attention. The alleged diversion was not confined to a single government office or account, but is being investigated across multiple institutions handling public funds.
Serious Criminal Charges Invoked
The latest chargesheet contains allegations relating to several serious offences. The CBI has invoked provisions dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, destruction of evidence, use of forged documents, falsification of accounts, criminal breach of trust and abetment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The agency has also invoked relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act concerning bribery and criminal misconduct. The combination of these provisions reflects the CBI’s allegation that the matter involved more than isolated financial lapses and may have included coordinated actions by public officials, banking personnel and other individuals.
The final determination of whether these offences were actually committed, and by whom, will rest with the competent court after examination of the evidence and arguments presented by both sides.
CBI Conducted 54 Searches
The investigation has already involved an extensive search operation. The CBI says it has conducted 54 searches at different locations as part of the probe and recovered material that it considers incriminating evidence.
Among the significant seizures reported by the agency is gold valued at approximately ₹20 crore. The recovery has added another dimension to the investigation as the agency continues to examine the suspected movement and conversion of the allegedly misappropriated funds.
The CBI has also arrested 26 accused persons during the course of the investigation. The arrests and searches indicate that the agency has been pursuing multiple strands of the alleged financial network, including the role of government officials, bank personnel and private individuals.
CBI Took Over Probe From Haryana Agency
The investigation was initially handled by Haryana’s State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The CBI subsequently took over the case after the Haryana government requested that the central agency investigate the alleged financial irregularities.
Since taking over the investigation, the CBI has expanded the probe and filed multiple chargesheets. The latest filing is the third chargesheet in the Haryana funds case and brings the number of accused chargesheeted in the Haryana case to 37.
The central agency is continuing to examine financial records, banking transactions and other evidence to establish how the funds were allegedly moved and where the money ultimately went.
Earlier Chargesheets Had Named 18 Accused
Before the latest chargesheet, the CBI had already filed chargesheets against 18 other accused persons in the Haryana case. Those accused included bank officials, government employees, private individuals and companies.
The latest filing adds another 19 accused to the list, taking the total number of chargesheeted persons in the Haryana component of the investigation to 37. The development indicates that the investigation has moved well beyond the initial identification of suspected irregular transactions and is now focused on establishing the individual roles of a much larger group of accused.
The CBI’s investigation continues, and the agency is expected to examine additional evidence and the alleged flow of funds as the case progresses.
Chandigarh Cases Take Combined Amount to ₹657 Crore
The Haryana case is also linked administratively to a wider investigation involving alleged irregularities in Chandigarh government accounts. The CBI has taken over two related cases concerning Chandigarh government funds.
One of these cases concerns Chandigarh Smart City Limited and the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh. The second relates to the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society, commonly known as CREST.
When the alleged amounts involved in these Chandigarh cases are combined with the Haryana investigation, the total value of the alleged financial irregularities under the broader CBI probe has been pegged at approximately ₹657 crore.
That larger figure gives an indication of the scale of the investigation now being handled by the central agency. While the Haryana component alone involves an alleged ₹504 crore, the related Chandigarh cases have pushed the combined figure substantially higher.
Probe Still Underway
Despite the filing of three chargesheets in the Haryana case, the investigation has not yet reached its end. The CBI continues to examine the alleged movement of funds and the roles of individuals and entities connected with the transactions.
The agency’s focus remains on establishing how government money was allegedly transferred from accounts maintained by public departments, how the banking channels were used, who ultimately received the funds and whether the transactions were part of a coordinated criminal conspiracy.
For Haryana’s government departments and public bodies, the case also raises questions about internal financial controls, account monitoring and compliance with anti-fraud safeguards. The alleged use of multiple bank accounts and transfers to unrelated third parties is likely to remain a key area of scrutiny as the investigation progresses.
With 19 more accused now chargesheeted, including six IAS officers, the case has entered another significant phase. The court will ultimately assess the evidence presented by the CBI, while the agency continues its investigation into the alleged ₹504-crore diversion of Haryana government funds and its wider links to the cases involving Chandigarh government accounts.
