- Gujarat government compulsorily retired two IAS officers under Operation Gangajal.
- K Rajesh faced corruption, money laundering; Gaurav Dahiya, misconduct charges.
- Operation Gangajal targets officials with corruption, disciplinary action, misconduct.
Operation Gangajal: In a major crackdown, the Gujarat government has ordered the compulsory retirement of two Indian Administrative Officers (IAS), namely K Rajesh and Gaurav Dahiya, over their conduct under “Operation Gangajal". Under this exercise, the state authorities carry out investigations against officials facing charges of corruption, disciplinary action and allegations of serious misconduct.
Who is Rajesh?
K Rajesh was first suspended in 2022 over alleged corruption and money laundering cases. The case was being investigated by the Central Investigation Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate. Initially, the CBI arrested him in 2022 in a corruption case linked to his tenure as Surendranagar collector from April 2018 to June 2021.
The 2011-batch IAS officer has been accused of accepting bribes to issue arms licences and allot government land. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) later arrested him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and filed a prosecution complaint against him.
Why is Dahiya being compulsorily retired?
The 2010 batch IAS was suspended amid an inquiry committee formed by the Gujarat government, allegedly accused of him of bigamy and professional misconduct. The steps were taken after a Delhi woman filed a complaint against him. Following this, a formal departmental inquiry was ordered against Dahiya.
Initially, Dahiya denied the allegations, claiming he had been honey-trapped and blackmailed. Even as the Delhi police gave him a clean chit, the Gujarat government said at the time that departmental enquiries into separate complaints against him were still underway.
In 2019, another inquiry was set up to investigate his financial dealings related to a flat he had purchased for the same woman in Delhi. The Gujarat government lifted Dahiya's suspension in July 2023, almost four years after it was imposed. He was then posted as an additional development commissioner in Gandhinagar.
Dahiya retained his position till Thursday, under the Operation Gangajal. The Gujarat IAS was scheduled to be retired in 2044; the ordered compulsory retirement had left him with around 18 years of service.
Operation Gangajal
Operation Gangajal is an administrative exercise launched by the Gujarat government under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to crack down on government officials facing corruption charges, disciplinary actions, and serious misconduct.
Over 30 Class I and II officials have so far either been compulsorily retired before their scheduled retirement or suspended. In the recent days, Chief Electrical Inspector A B Chaudhary, a Class I officer, was compulsorily retired after an ACB probe found evidence of benami assets worth Rs 2.64 crore.
Three officials from the Forest and Environment Department and around 12 from the Health Department have also been given premature retirement. The administrative exercise is referred to as Operation Gangajal, as a metaphorical reference to using the holy water of the River Ganges (Gangajal) to purify, cleanse, and wash away "impurities" or corruption within the system.