No vigilance clearance for voluntary retirement of IAS officer yet

Facing investigations into multi-crore Faridabad Municipal Corporation scams, IAS officer Sonal Goel has sought a personal hearing from Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi regarding the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the grant of vigilance clearance for her voluntary retirement.

A 2008-batch IAS officer of the Tripura cadre, Goel is facing investigations in FIRs registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Haryana, in 2022. During her deputation with Haryana, she served as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation (MC), Faridabad, for two terms — August 6, 2016, to August 14, 2017, and from September 16, 2019, to December 31, 2019.

In her recent communication with the Chief Secretary, she said if he deemed it appropriate, she “may be allowed to be present during the discussion” of her file “since it has already been more than 1.5 years lapse” since she had applied for voluntary retirement.

Goel had written to the Tripura Government for voluntary retirement, but it has not been accepted by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, as the Haryana Government did not submit its comments.

The Haryana Government had intimated the DoPT on October 31, 2023, that it had granted permission to investigate Goel under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, but she approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court, on September 30, 2022, directed the ACB to continue with the inquiry. However, it was directed that no coercive action be taken. Goel was also asked to participate in ongoing proceedings with the ACB and render all assistance. The vigilance clearance was withheld in terms of the DoPT’s 2007 memorandum.

Goel told the Chief Secretary that, as per revised guidelines of the DoPT dated October 9, 2024, vigilance clearance could be denied if the orders for instituting a criminal case or sanction for investigation or inquiry against the officer had been approved by the disciplinary authority, and the chargesheet was served within three months. She pointed out that in her case, no chargesheet was served within three months.

“In these cases, even after the permission of investigation given by Govt, the period of three months is lapsed long time ago and no further action has been there by ACB /Govt of Haryana against me till date,” she said.

“No vigilance clearance is granted to her. Her case is pending," said a senior officer in the Chief Secretary’s office.

Submissions of ACB before HC

According to the ACB, after demitting the office of Commissioner, MC, Faridabad, and while serving as DC, Jhajjar, she, in October 2017, “fraudulently got prepared/generated forged and fictitious documents showing execution of 112 works of repair and maintenance of the value of Rs 4.90 crore” and “similarly for 28 works of the value of Rs. 1.76 crores”. She allegedly did so in connivance with MC officials and a contractor. It was alleged that she was “knowing fully well” that such works had not been executed by the contractor at the site.

The ACB claimed that as MC Commissioner, she accorded administrative approval for the interlocking of paver tiles in Ward No. 14 for Rs 54.36 lakh, though she was competent to accord approval only for up to Rs 50 lakh. She released a payment of Rs 85.30 lakh in favour of the contractor on October 11, 2019, knowing that the initial administrative approval for the work was less. The MC, which was the competent authority to revise the estimates, did not receive any proposal for revision, nor was any approval granted.

Haryana Tribune