Gurugram: Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Sonia Aggarwal, vice chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW), on charges of accepting a bribe to settle a complaint regarding a marital dispute between a teacher and his police constable wife—an allegation she denies. Aggarwal’s driver and personal assistant, Kulbir Beniwal, who allegedly took the bribe on her behalf, has also been taken into custody.
Late Saturday evening, the Anti-Corruption Bureau announced Sonia Aggarwal’s arrest through a post on its official ‘X’ handle.
The ACB also said it “successfully caught the accused, Kulbir, red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 1,00,000”.
The ACB tagged the Haryana Chief Minister’s Office in the post.
हरियाणा एंटी करप्शन ब्यूरो की टीम ने आज हरियाणा महिला आयोग की उपाध्यक्ष सोनिया अग्रवाल तथा उनके ड्राइवर कुलबीर को ₹100000 की रिश्वत लेने के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किया। एसीबी की टीम ने आरोपी कुलबीर को ₹100000 की रिश्वत लेते हुए रंगे हाथ पकड़ने में सफलता प्राप्त की। इस मामले में…
— Anti Corruption Bureau, Haryana (@SVBHaryana) December 14, 2024
According to a source in the ACB, Anil Kumar, a junior basic training (JBT) teacher and resident of Julana in Jind, and his wife, a police constable posted in Bahadurgarh town of Jhajjar district, had a domestic dispute.
On 12 December, Aggarwal conducted a counselling session for the couple in Sonipat.
Two days later, the teacher lodged a complaint with the ACB alleging that during this session, Kulbir—Aggarwal’s driver from Hansi in Hisar district—allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from him to settle the dispute.
The ACB laid a trap and Kulbir was caught red-handed in Hansi, while accepting the bribe.
Subsequently, the ACB team reached Aggarwal’s house in Pratap Colony, Kharkhoda, Sonipat. Since Aggarwal was not at home, the team summoned her, after which she was detained and taken to the government rest house in Kharkhoda.
The ACB team later conducted a thorough search of Aggarwal’s house in the presence of her parents, keeping the house sealed for an extended period. After the search, Aggarwal was arrested and taken to the women’s police station in Sonipat for further questioning.
ACB officials suspect that Kulbir was Aggarwal’s intermediary, with both possibly dividing the bribes among themselves, it is learnt.
Aggarwal’s driver Kulbir, who runs a YouTube news channel in Hisar, had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Hisar as an Independent and received only 1,000 votes.
Kulbir reportedly met Sonia Aggarwal six months ago during her visit to inspect a women’s police station in Hisar. Aggarwal hired him as her driver, and eventually, he took on additional responsibilities as her personal assistant.
Aggarwal and Kulbir were brought to ACB’s Sonipat office Sunday morning after which they were produced before a local court. Aggarwal told media persons there that she was innocent and had been falsely implicated in the case.
Renu Bhatia, chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, described Aggarwal’s arrest as upsetting. It is deeply saddening that such an incident has emerged within the Commission, she told ThePrint Sunday, adding that if ACB has evidence of the alleged offence, it is a reflection of the state government’s commitment to rooting out corruption.
Bhatia emphasized that ACB should conduct a thorough investigation into the matter to ensure no woman is wrongfully implicated and that no innocent person is falsely accused. She assured that ACB would carry out its investigation impartially and without obstruction.
Bhatai reiterated that the ACB has complete freedom to take action as they see fit. Reflecting on her three-year tenure leading the women’s panel, she said no such case was brought to her attention during this time but she could not comment on prior incidents.
She termed the arrests unfortunate, emphasizing that such occurrences tarnish the reputation of the commission.
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Sonia Aggarwal & HSCW
Hailing from Kharkhoda town of Sonipat district, Sonia Aggarwal, a law graduate in her early 40s, was nominated to Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) in December 2017 as one of its five members. Renu Bhatia, sitting chairperson of the commission, was also appointed as a member at the time.
In July 2017, Pratibha Suman was appointed as its chairperson, and Preeti Bhardwaj as deputy chairperson. Suman and Bhardwaj completed their terms in 2021. Bhardwaj is currently a member of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Renu Bhatia was appointed chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women in January 2022, while Sonia Aggarwal was elevated as its vice chairperson in March 2024. Bhatia’s three-year term, due to end in January 2025, was renewed last month.
At this point, the commission does not have a single member, besides the chairperson and vice chairperson, since all the five positions of members are lying vacant.
The HSCW was established in the year 1999 and became a statutory body through an enactment by the state legislature on 15 October, 2012.
Under Section 3 of HSCW Act, it is provided that the commission shall consist of a chairperson, vice chairperson and five members to be nominated by the government, wherein one member shall be from scheduled castes. The director of state women and child development department, and director general of police are its ex-officio members.
The administrative secretary, WCD, is a special invitee.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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