Punjab Vigilance begins probe against ex-Chief Secretary
Vishav Bharti
Chandigarh, July 6
Trouble seems to be mounting for former Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal as the Vigilance Bureau has initiated inquiry into alleged disproportionate assets (DA) case against him.
Matter sub judice
I would not like to make any comment on matters which are sub judice and under consideration of the High Court.
Sarvesh Kaushal, ex-chief secy
VB sources revealed that the inquiry into alleged disproportionate assets against Kaushal had been initiated on the basis of a ‘source information report’ allegedly comprising a long list of his movable and immovable assets. Kaushal has been asked to appear before the Vigilance Bureau on July 11.
The former Chief Secretary is already facing a probe for his alleged role in multi-crore irrigation scam. Along with holding the post of Chief Secretary, Kaushal was also had the charge of Administrative Secretary of the Irrigation Department when the alleged scam took place. The VB is probing the scam in which tenders for various irrigation projects were allegedly tailor-made considering the eligibility conditions of just one contractor. It allegedly led to a huge loss to the government exchequer.
In March, the VB had told Kaushal that he was not cooperating in irrigation scam as he failed to furnish information and failed to appear before the investigating agency at the scheduled time.
Kaushal, a 1982-batch IAS officer served as the Chief Secretary between 2014 and 2017 during the SAD-BJP government. After the Congress came to power in 2017, he was removed from the post and appointed as the Special Chief Secretary-cum-Director General, Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, from there he superannuated in August 2018.
