2001 HCS selections: Ex-HPSC chairman, former IAS officer continue to enjoy sinecures despite being charge-sheeted
The case pertained to alleged irregularities and malpractices committed by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) in the recruitment process of 2001 HCS and Allied Services (executive branch) Examination during the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) rule
: Former HPSC chairman, KC Bangar and former IAS officer, Hardeep Singh, who have been arraigned as accused in a graft case charge-sheet filed by Haryana anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on July 4 continue to hold sinecures offered by a munificent BJP-JJP government.
The case pertained to alleged irregularities and malpractices committed by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) in the recruitment process of 2001 HCS and Allied Services (executive branch) Examination during the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) rule.
Former HPSC chairman, Bangar, was appointed as adviser, climate change in the Haryana environment and climate change department in 2022. He continues to hold the post. Bangar, who once contested elections as an INLD candidate dumped his old masters in 2018 to join hands with Dushyant Chautala, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader and a high-profile minister designated as deputy chief minister in the BJP-JJP regime.
Asked whether it was appropriate for him to continue as advisor, climate change after being arraigned as an accused in a graft case, Bangar said one is innocent till one is punished by a court of law.
“If the director general of anti-corruption bureau can continue to hold the post despite a petition seeking an enquiry by the CBI or CVC being pending against him in the high court and if MLAs/MPs can continue to hold offices despite facing trials, what’s wrong with me being adviser, climate change?,’’ Bangar asked.
The JJP functionary said that he was holding only an honorary post and not taking any salary or allowances from the government.
Former IAS officer, Hardeep Singh who was the HPSC secretary when the 2001 HCS examinations took place was last year appointed as director general, Haryana Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (HAMETI) after his retirement on November 30. In fact, his appointment was approved by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Deputy principal secretary to the chief minister K. Makrand Pandurang while approving the proposal to give Singh a post-retirement job wrote on November 15: “CM has approved as proposed by ACS, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. He has desired that due process may be followed while availing services of Dr Hardeep Singh, IAS.”
When contacted, Hardeep Singh said that his name was not in the FIR and no departmental action was pending against him. Asked about his being named in the ACB chargesheet, Singh said: “I was a merely custodian of the record. There was no wrongdoing from my side. Delivery of answer sheets to examiners was my given duty as per the standard operating procedure. It’s good that handing over of answer-sheets to examiners was done by a class 1 officer and it has been the prevalent practice at that time,’’ Singh said.
The ACB in its chargesheet filed in the court of law 18 years after a first information report was registered in April 2005 has arraigned 29 persons as accused. These included six former HPSC functionaries, eight serving and one retired HCS officer, a former IAS officer, and nine paper checkers.