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Punjab govt exonerates former Vigilance Bureau chief Parmar
Year-long departmental inquiry finds no evidence of misconduct or dereliction of duty in Punjab transport department corruption probe
The Punjab government has exonerated 1997-batch IPS officer and additional director general of police (ADGP) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar of all charges of misconduct and dereliction of duty in connection with the Vigilance Bureau’s action in corruption cases involving the transport department.
Parmar, who was the chief director of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), was suspended along with two other senior officers—AIG Swarandeep Singh and Jalandhar VB SSP Harpreet Singh—on April 25 last year.
The action came after surprise VB raids at regional transport authority (RTA) offices and automated driving test centres across the state unearthed alleged large-scale corruption in the issuance of driving licences.
The government had alleged that the three officers failed to take action against those involved in the scam despite the bureau uncovering widespread malpractices.
The raids led to the registration of 16 FIRs and the arrest of 24 people, including private agents and government employees, for allegedly taking bribes to expedite driving licence processing or manipulate driving test results. The investigation found that agents, allegedly in collusion with transport department officials, bypassed the automated testing system by uploading old videos of candidates who had passed driving tests, using proxy drivers and resorting to other fraudulent practices.
While AIG Swarandeep Singh and Jalandhar VB SSP Harpreet Singh, both PPS officers, were reinstated to their posts on May 18 last year, a departmental inquiry was initiated against Parmar in accordance with the rules governing IPS officers while posting him as ADGP (Law and Order).
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla conducted the inquiry and recommended closure of the case. The recommendation was accepted by the home department on July 22 with the approval of the governor.
An order issued by the home secretary, a copy of which is with HT, stated that the departmental proceedings initiated against Parmar under Rule 8 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, had been dropped after the inquiry found no evidence to substantiate any of the charges against him.
The order noted that the inquiry concluded the Vigilance Bureau had acted in accordance with Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, while probing the transport department corruption cases that triggered the controversy, but found that the allegations against Parmar were not proved.
Accepting the findings, the governor ordered that all charges framed against Parmar be dropped and directed that the departmental proceedings be closed.
The order also stated that Parmar’s suspension period would be treated as on-duty in accordance with the applicable service rules, restoring his service benefits for the period he remained under suspension.
The latest order brings the matter to a formal close, giving Parmar a clean chit after nearly a year-long departmental inquiry.
The suspension of Parmar, along with the two other senior police officers, was considered one of the most high-profile disciplinary actions in recent years as it marked the first time the chief director of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had been suspended.
