The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought sanction from the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to investigate three senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including the current Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal and Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar, in connection with its probe into the alleged Rs 2,267-crore Employees’ Provident Fund ‘scam’ in the state.
The third IAS officer sought to be probed by the agency is Aparna U, the current chairman of the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL), where the scam allegedly took place between March 2017 and December 2018.
Aggarwal was additional secretary and UPPCL chairman during the scam period and was succeeded by Alok Kumar, who was in turn succeeded by Aparna U.
“The sanction to investigate these officers was sought in December last year from the state government as per law,” an official privy to the development said.
The CBI registered a case in the matter on recommendation from the state government in March 2020. The case, which is about savings of power sector employees being invested in the beleaguered Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL), had been first registered by UP police.
Pravin Kumar Gupta, former secretary of the UP State Power Sector Employees’ Trust; and Sudhanshu Dwivedi, former director, finance, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL); had been named as accused for criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery. Both were arrested by the Hazratganj…
