Raipur: Senior Congress MLA Satyanarayan Sharma recently raised a question on corruption cases against IAS and IPS officers, which left the entire state bureaucracy red-faced.

He sought to know how many IAS and IPS officers have been booked for corruption from January 2018 to June 2021 – the period in which Congress under chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has been in power in Chhattisgarh. The general administration department (GAD) is under Baghel.

Baghel, in his written reply to the question, informed that as many as 20 IAS and IPS officers have been booked for corruption during the period. The total number of cases registered against these officers is 44.

All of them still seem to be holding on to their positions.

This is perhaps the first time that a question pertaining to corruption involving IAS and IPS officers has been raised in the state assembly.

The list includes names of two former chief secretaries and two current additional director general (ADG)-level officers, involved in corruption cases over the last two years. Baghel further informed that none of these IAS officers have been found guilty or have been punished so far.

Under former chief minister Raman Singh also, cases had been registered against an officer who worked as his director of publicity.

The two ADG-level IPS officers have at least eight to 10 cases registered against them and have been under suspension following an initial investigation into the matter. Although both of them have filed multiple petitions in various courts for bail and transfer of investigation, they have since not been seen in Raipur and are believed to be on the run.

The cases of corruption against all officers are being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Meanwhile, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bilaspur high court, claiming that as many as 90 class I and class II officers of the state, ranging from the chief secretary to tehsildar and from the ADG to deputy superintendent of police (DSP), are under investigation in various fora, ranging from the ACB, Lokayukta and police stations, in cases related to corruption, scams and rape.

Almost all the officers, even those accused of rape, remain in active posts. Some senior officers have even been charge-sheeted in special courts by the Central Bureau of Investigation, but they continue to serve at the pleasure of the government.

According to GAD rules, officers once charge-sheeted have to be automatically suspended till their names are cleared by the court. However, some former officers, who have retired since cases against them were being probed, have been allegedly given prime post-retirement posts in various corporations and boards by Baghel.