Gurugram: The Haryana Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has directed its officers to prepare a district-wise list of “notorious and openly defiant” officials who refuse to perform work without illegal gratification, and whose “corrupt image” is widely known.
This was among a slew of directives new State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General of Police Arshinder Singh Chawla issued during a review meeting Tuesday.
The bureau chief also asked officials to take measures to protect honest officers, directing his officials to ensure continuous engagement with those who discharge their duties with integrity. Their work should be publicly appreciated and rewarded, he said.
Soon after assuming office Tuesday, he convened a high-level review meeting with all range Superintendents of Police and senior officers, issuing them clear and strict directions on priorities, working methodology and future strategy of the bureau. He also reviewed ongoing anti-corruption operations in detail.
In every district, he told his senior officers, there are certain officials and employees whose “corrupt image” is widely known and who refuse to perform official work without illegal gratification.
“Such notorious and openly defiant elements must be identified, and comprehensive, verified and regularly updated lists prepared. Clear priorities should be set, followed by concrete action,” he added.
He then added a stern warning, “Corrupt officials should have no illusion—sooner or later, they will be brought within the ambit of law, with all efforts directed towards catching them red-handed.”
The details of the meeting were also posted on the X handle of the State’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Fear for the #Corrupt, Confidence for the Honest: Arshinder Chawla Puts Vigilance Bureau in Action Mode#ZeroTolerance from Day One: Arshinder Chawla’s Clear Message — Planned Crackdown on Bribery, Technology to Be the Strongest Weapon
Taking charge with a firm resolve,…
— State Vigilance & Anti Corruption Bureau, Haryana (@SVBHaryana) January 6, 2026
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Earlier ‘embarrassment’
The move to prepare a list of corrupt officials has revived the memories of an earlier embarrassment when a leaked list of 370 allegedly corrupt patwaris went viral, inviting a judicial scrutiny, and forcing the government into a damage control mode.
Acting on a PIL filed by Sahibjeet Singh Sandhu through his counsel Ishani Goyal, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had demanded answers on the leak of the list, and the actions taken against those named.
The Haryana government told the HC that three government officials had been charge-sheeted for the leak of the “corrupt patwaris” list.
In an additional affidavit filed on 8 September, Haryana government Special Secretary K.K. Bhadoo said that then Under Secretary Rajeev Malhotra (now Deputy Secretary), Deputy Superintendent Azad Baldia and Assistant Ravinder Kumar were facing disciplinary action for “inadvertently” releasing the list.
Asked by the court whether the objectionable material branding patwaris as corrupt without their guilt being established had been officially withdrawn from public domain, the law officers, led by Additional Advocate General Deepak Balyan and Ankur Mittal, claimed no such publication was ever authorised by the government.
It was not known how newspapers and media houses got hold of the document, they said.
The division bench then issued notices to editors of five newspapers, observing that the only way to ascertain whether the list was released inadvertently or officially was to question those who published it. The court posted the matter for November 7, 2025.
The reply from the respondents is yet to come though the case was heard on 7 November and 17 December.
‘Some don’t move without bribe’
When contacted by ThePrint Wednesday over his directive, DGP (State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau) Chawla said the purpose of making a list and keeping it updated is not to circulate it among people but to keep a watch on the activities of such officials.
“Every office has certain officials who don’t move without a bribe. The names of such officials are already known to people. As the police pursue hardened criminals with a special strategy, a different approach is required to bring hardened corrupt officials (to justice) as well,” Chawla said.
“The purpose of preparing a district-wise list is to keep a close eye on the activities of such officials. At the end of the day, the aim is to curb the menace of corruption in society,” he added.
In the meeting held Tuesday, Chawla instructed all range SPs to identify such officials and maintain comprehensive, verified and regularly updated lists for targeted action.
The directive came with a promise of “zero tolerance from day one”.
‘As police pursue hardened criminals with a special strategy, a different approach is required to bring hardened corrupt officials (to justice) as well,’ says Arshinder Singh Chawla, DG, Vigilance and ACB, Haryana.
The DG emphasised that well-planned, confidential and technically sound trap operations should be devised for a “100 percent success rate”, and no scope for procedural lapses.
He directed maximum use of modern technology in building cases, saying that being tech-savvy is no longer optional in the digital era. “Advanced technological tools not only strengthen trap cases with solid evidence but also play a crucial role in effective prosecution and speedy disposal of cases in courts.”
The bureau chief underlined that the objective of action is not merely punishment, but systemic cleaning.
“To achieve this, a strong sense of legal deterrence must be instilled among corrupt officials, while simultaneously boosting the morale of honest officers so they can perform their duties without fear or pressure,” he said.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
The list includes everyone from the CM’s office to a panchayat office attendant barring a few. The state will run out of jails if everyone is arrested. Corruption is the main DNA of socialist India. The country can’t exist without corruption.