Panchkula: Court rejects anticipatory bail of accused in ₹9-crore scam

The case registered on November 23 at the Sector-7 police station, stems from a complaint by accounts officer of the Zila Parishad, Panchkula

The Panchkula court has dismissed the anticipatory bail application of Varinder Singh, a resident of Khuda Jassu, Chandigarh, in a Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-G) funds misappropriation case.

In its order dated December 15, the court observed that the scam is of “huge magnitude” and involves the systematic embezzlement of public funds. (HT Photo for representation)

The court of additional sessions judge ruled that Singh’s custodial interrogation is essential to uncover the full magnitude of the scam, which investigators now estimate at over ₹9.72 crore.

The case registered on November 23 at the Sector-7 police station, stems from a complaint by accounts officer of the Zila Parishad, Panchkula. Investigations revealed a sophisticated racket involving the forgery of the chief executive officer’s (CEO) signatures on RTGS documents to divert public funds into private accounts. Several accused, including DC office employees Dinesh Kumar and Gagandeep Goyal, as well as block coordinators Anil and Sanjeev, have already been arrested.

Varinder Singh, the brother-in-law of prime accused Dinesh Kumar, is the owner of M/s Rubani Enterprises. According to the public prosecutor, Singh’s firm allegedly received over ₹1.61 crore in its HDFC bank account under the guise of work contracts that were never actually awarded or executed. The prosecution further alleged that Singh subsequently transferred these “proceeds of crime” into the personal bank accounts of his wife and father.

During the hearing, Singh’s counsel argued that he was being falsely implicated due to his relationship with Dinesh Kumar and emphasised that as a government employee working at PGI, there was no risk of him absconding. However, the public prosecutor strongly opposed the bail, highlighting that the police had recovered fake seals of senior authorities and over 45 forged noting files from the cars of co-accused persons. The investigation has so far identified 20 suspicious firms used to siphon-off public money between 2022 and 2025.

In its order dated December 15, the court observed that the scam is of “huge magnitude” and involves the systematic embezzlement of public funds. The judge noted that granting pre-arrest bail would adversely affect the investigation, stating that custodial interrogation is necessary for the “recovery of case property and discovery of facts” regarding the complicity of other senior department officials.