Driving licence ‘scam’: Punjab Govt revokes suspension of AIG, SSP

The Punjab Government on Sunday revoked the suspension of AIG Flying Squad, Vigilance Bureau (VB), Swarandeep Singh, and SSP Vigilance, Jalandhar, Harpreet Singh Mander, with immediate effect.

This came days after they were suspended for allegedly not taking action against people involved in the alleged driving licence scam.

Surprise raids were held last month

The VB had conducted surprise inspections on Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices and driving test centres across the state last month, leading to arrest of several people allegedly involved in bribery and malpractices. The operation targeted RTA officials and agents who were acting as intermediaries, charging illegal fees to expedite driving licence processing or manipulate driving test results

The orders were issued on Sunday by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Alok Shekhar.

The suspension order of the former Vigilance Bureau chief Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, a 1997 batch IPS officer, has not been revoked yet. The Ministry of Home Affairs while according the approval for the confirmation of the suspension has asked the state government to issue charge-sheet to Parmar by June 23, 2025. The state government would decide upon his case, after Parmar files his reply to the charge-sheet, said government sources.

Taking a dig at the AAP government, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa wrote on ‘X’ “First AAP government 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.”

Upon the suspension of the vigilance official on April 15, the government had stated that despite the availability of evidence in the driving licence scam, no immediate action was taken against the (accused) officers. SPS Parmar, who headed the Vigilance Bureau, was issued a show-cause notice for this delay. However, even after the notice, no meaningful action followed. The continued inaction raised serious concerns within the government. It is also suspected that information may have been leaked from within the VB, allowing the accused to flee.”

Additional Director General of Police (NRI) Praveen Kumar Sinha is holding the additional charge of Chief Director, VB. Parmar’s suspension had marked the third top-level change in the VB in as many months. In February, chief director Varinder Kumar was removed, followed by his successor G Nageshwar Rao in March.

Last month, the VB had conducted surprise inspections at the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices and driving test centres across the state, leading to the arrest of several people allegedly involved in bribery and malpractices. The operation targeted RTA officials and agents who were acting as intermediaries, charging illegal fees to expedite driving licence processing or manipulate driving test results.

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