The Haryana government has granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the alleged involvement of five IAS officers in the Rs 590-crore IDFC First Bank fraud case.
These officers include Vineet Garg (1991 batch), Pankaj Agarwal (2000 batch), Mohammed Shayin (2002 batch), Pradeep Kumar (2011 batch) and Ram Kumar Singh (2012 batch). The last two, both promoted from the Haryana Civil Services, have been under suspension since 9 April.
On Friday, the CBI moved a fresh application, seeking sanction to question three more IAS officers: Saket Kumar (2005 batch), D.K. Behera (2007 batch) and Mani Ram (2009 batch).
This approval was granted under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which requires prior sanction from the competent authority before any investigation can be initiated against a public servant for actions related to official duties.
With the state government's clearance, the CBI can now summon the officers for questioning. Sources revealed that the CBI had made a request to proceed against the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers based on the disclosure statements of the accused. The investigators may also examine various administrative approvals that permitted the depositing of government funds in private banks.
CBI conducts searches at multiple places
On Thursday, the CBI conducted searches at multiple locations in Chandigarh and Panchkula in connection with the bank scam case. During these searches, they seized financial records and digital evidence linked to the alleged fraud.
An official statement released on Friday alleged that certain officials of the IDFC First Bank and the AU Small Finance Bank, in collaboration with public servants from various Haryana government departments, had misappropriated government funds through fraudulent means.
As of now, 16 accused have been arrested in the case.
Earlier, a Haryana government spokesperson had stated that an inquiry committee constituted in February 2026 by the Director, Development and Panchayats Department had uncovered irregularities and discrepancies in accounts operated in IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. Based on the committee's report and supporting documents, the case was referred to the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) for criminal investigation.
Subsequently, on February 23, an FIR was lodged at the SV&ACB police station in Panchkula under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The matter was subsequently handed over to the CBI.
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