By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 3 Jan: Suspended Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers linked to the alleged Haridwar land scam have not gained any immediate relief despite a high-level government review of their suspensions. The assessment ended without a final call, coming just a day after Congress State president Ganesh Godiyal sharply criticised the prospect of their reinstatement.
These IAS officers, suspended over alleged irregularities in Haridwar Municipal Corporation land dealings, linger in uncertainty post-review. The process formally examined their status but yielded no conclusion, fuelling political and bureaucratic scrutiny after Godiyal’s intervention a mere 24 hours earlier.
It may be recalled that in 2025, when a Rs 57 crore land scam at Haridwar Municipal Corporation erupted, sparking statewide political turmoil over claims of serious lapses in municipal land transactions. The government had ordered a probe under IAS officer Ranveer Singh Chauhan. His preliminary findings pointed to prima facie violations, prompting stern measures on the Chief Minister’s orders.
Consequently, then Haridwar District Magistrate Karmendra Singh and then Haridwar Municipal Commissioner Varun Chaudhary faced suspension, both of them being IAS officers. In addition, Then Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ajayveer Singh (PCS Officer) and several Municipal Corporation staff also got suspended. It may be reminded here that while PCC Chief Ganesh Godiyal tried to score a political point by criticising the government decision to review the suspension of IAS officers Karmendra Singh and Varun Chaudhary, according to the rules of the DOPT, periodic review of officers of All India Services is considered mandatory for the government.
Nearing the six-month suspension threshold, the administration initiated fresh talks on reinstatement. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan chaired a meeting to evaluate the two IAS officers‘ cases, yet it wrapped up inconclusively. Bardhan as confirmed that no decision has emerged for now.
Speculation swirls amid the deadlock, with the suspended officers awaiting reprieve as the administration ponders next moves in this prominent alleged scam.
