Gujarat government forces retirement of two IAS officers amid anti-corruption drive

The Gujarat government announced the compulsory retirement of two Indian Administrative Service officers, K Rajesh and Gaurav Dahiya, as part of its “Operation Gangajal” initiative aimed at officials under corruption or serious misconduct probes. Rajesh, a 2011-batch officer, had been suspended and was under criminal investigation for alleged bribery related to arms licences, illegal land allotments and money-laundering, with arrests by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

Dahiya, a 2010-batch officer serving as additional development commissioner in Gandhinagar, was retired following disciplinary proceedings tied to misconduct allegations, including a bigamy case that Delhi Police later cleared. Earlier departmental inquiries had also examined his financial transactions, prompting the appointment of retired IAS officer V S Gadhavi to investigate. The retirements remove both officers, who each had several years of service remaining, from the state bureaucracy.