In a significant development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the chargesheet filed by the Haryana Vigilance Bureau against HCS officer Jagdeep Dhanda, who was facing prosecution in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2001-batch HCS recruitment. This stay order has reopened the possibility of his promotion to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) under the state quota. The court also issued a notice to the Haryana government seeking its response on Dhanda’s plea to quash the criminal proceedings.
Jagdeep Dhanda argued before the court that he was falsely implicated in the case to keep him out of consideration for IAS promotion. His counsels cited the Advocate General’s opinion from November 24, 2023, stating that the FIR had no bearing on his promotion. Based on this, an integrity certificate was issued and forwarded to the UPSC. The High Court was informed that there was no evidence against him in the investigation to justify his prosecution.
However, the state government opposed the plea, asserting that since Jagdeep Dhanda is still an accused in the chargesheet, he is not eligible for promotion. The High Court bench of Justice Tribhuvan Singh Dahiya has fixed August 22 as the next date of hearing. The court’s interim order could have broader implications for other similarly charge-sheeted officers from the same batch, including Sarita Malik, Kamlesh Kumar Bhadoo, Kuldhir Singh, and others.
The case stems from a chargesheet filed by the Haryana Vigilance Bureau (now ACB) against 29 individuals, including former HPSC officials and 2001-batch officers, alleging large-scale irregularities during the INLD regime.
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