Chandigarh: Meenakshi Dahiya, the tainted HCS officer arrested for accepting cash to drop charges against a subordinate, is all set to join her family to celebrate Diwali. A Panchkula court granted her regular bail on Wednesday.
Dahiya, who was arrested by Haryana’s anti-corruption bureau (ACB), has been lodged in Ambala jail since September 21 in connection with the six-month-old case.
Dahiya, a 2013 batch officer of Haryana Civil Services (HCS), was one of the three accused booked by the ACB. She and her two subordinates were arrested by ACB sleuths six months ago while accepting a bribe on her behalf. After being on the run, Dahiya was finally arrested in September.
It is alleged that Dahiya demanded Rs 1 lakh from a subordinate to drop a departmental chargesheet against him. She was to receive the bribe money through a senior scale stenographer, Joginder Singh, and an office peon, Satyender Singh, at her office in the mini secretariat of Chandigarh. Joginder and Satyender were arrested in May.
According to the information available, the case dates to May 29 this year. Acting on the complaint of Rajan Khoda, a district fisheries officer, the ACB laid a trap to apprehend the three accused. Notably, Rajan faced departmental proceedings, but the minister in charge and the administrative secretary concerned recommended dropping the charges. The issue was then referred to Dahiya, who was posted as joint secretary of the department, for further action.
It is alleged that Dahiya had given a handwritten slip to Rajan to contact Joginder and Satyender for handing over the bribe money and confirm the same to her on WhatsApp.
Accordingly, Rajan paid the money to the two accused who landed in ACB net on the same day. However, Meenakshi had escaped.