3 min readChandigarhUpdated: May 15, 2026 05:39 PM IST
The Nayab Singh Saini–led BJP government in Haryana has formally granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) permission to investigate the alleged role of several senior IAS officers in the Rs 590‑crore IDFC First Bank fraud case.
The permission was allowed under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).
Among those named are Vineet Garg, a 1991‑batch officer considered one of the state’s most senior bureaucrats, Pankaj Agarwal from the 2000 batch, and Mohammad Shayin from the 2002 batch. Two other officers, Pradeep Kumar (2011 batch) and R K Singh (2012 batch), who had been promoted from the Haryana Civil Services, are already under suspension.
A senior officer confirmed toThe Indian Expressthat with the state’s approval, the CBI can now call these officers for questioning.
Investigators are expected to focus on the administrative approvals that allowed government funds to be deposited in private banks, where they were later embezzled.
The decision comes shortly after a bureaucratic reshuffle on April 8, in which Vineet Garg was moved from his influential post as chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board to the relatively low‑profile role of additional chief secretary of the printing and stationery department. Garg has long been seen as a potential contender for the chief secretary’s position. Pankaj Agarwal, who previously oversaw irrigation and mines, was reassigned to the architecture department. Mohammad Shayin, once deputy commissioner of Chandigarh, is currently serving as commissioner of the Housing for All Department.
The Haryana Governmenthadhanded the case to the CBI in late March, about a month after the fraud was detected. Initially, the State Vigilance and Anti‑Corruption Bureau registered a case on February 23 at its Panchkula unit. Investigators say the prime accused created multiple fake firms to divert government deposits into different accounts. More than a dozen individuals, including several bankers and four Haryana government officers, have been arrested.
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Authorities have also seized six luxury vehicles — three Toyota Fortuners, two Innovas, and a Mercedes — believed to have been purchased with illicit proceeds.
During earlier remand proceedings, the CBI stressed the need for detailed questioning to trace the routing and use of the siphoned money and gold. The Enforcement Directorate is conducting a parallel probe into the money laundering aspects of the case.
