The Haryana government has granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged role of five IAS officers in the Rs 590-crore IDFC First Bank fraud case.
The approval was granted under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which mandates prior sanction from the competent authority before any investigation can be initiated against a public servant for actions linked to official duties.
With the state government’s clearance, the CBI can now summon the officers for questioning, sources said.
They said the CBI had made a request to proceed against the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers based on the disclosure statements of the accused, and the investigators might look into various administrative approvals that allowed the depositing of government funds in private banks.
The CBI conducted searches at multiple locations in Chandigarh and Panchkula on Thursday in connection with the bank scam case and seized financial records and digital evidence linked to the alleged fraud.
Certain officials of the IDFC First Bank and the AU Small Finance Bank, in connivance with public servants from various Haryana government departments, had allegedly misappropriated government funds through fraudulent means, an official statement said on Friday.
16 accused have so far been arrested in the case.
In a statement, a Haryana government spokesperson had recently said, "An inquiry committee constituted in February 2026 by the Director, Development and Panchayats Department, had uncovered irregularities and discrepancies in accounts operated in IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. Based on the committee's report and supporting documents, the case was referred to the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) for criminal investigation".
Subsequently, on February 23, an FIR was lodged at the SV&ACB police station in Panchkula under various sections of the PCA and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The matter was subsequently handed over to the CBI.
(With inputs from PTI)