Driving licence ‘scam’: Punjab Police revoke suspension of 2 officers

The Punjab Government has revoked the suspension of two police officers who were taken off work in an alleged driving licence scam last month.

The suspension of two Punjab Police Service (PPS) officers, Swarandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh, has been revoked with immediate effect, according to two separate orders.

Swarandeep will assume the charge of Assistant Inspector General, Flying Squad, Vigilance Bureau, SAS Nagar, while Harpreet will take the charge of Senior Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Bureau, Jalandhar.

The suspension period will be treated as a work served, according to the orders.

The state government had on April 25 suspended the two officers, along with Vigilance Bureau Chief S P S Parmar.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa took a swipe at the AAP Government.

“First, @AAPPunjab govt in Punjab suspended senior Vigilance Bureau officers claiming a crackdown on corruption. Now, they’re reinstated, same posts, suspension period not even counted. Both decisions can’t be right.

“Did AAP suspend them to make them fall in line, and now they’ve complied? This isn’t governance. It’s intimidation,” Bajwa alleged in a post on X.

The officers were suspended allegedly for not taking action against some people, including some of their peers, involved in the scam.

Last month, the vigilance bureau conducted surprise inspections at the regional transport authority offices and driving test centres, arresting several people allegedly involved in bribery and other malpractices.

The operation targeted RTA officials and agents who were allegedly acting as intermediaries, charging illegal fees to expedite driving licence processing or manipulate driving test results.

It was discovered that driving licences were being issued without proper driving tests, with bribes, while some proxy drivers were used to take driving tests.