Gurugram: Murari Lal Tayal was a prominent figure in Haryana’s bureaucracy during Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s first term as Chief Minister, serving as his Principal Secretary.
A Haryana cadre IAS of the 1976 batch, Tayal’s early assignments in Haryana included roles across various departments and districts, where he built a reputation for efficiency and adaptability.
His ability to manage complex administrative challenges and align with influential political figures set the stage for his rapid ascent within the state’s bureaucratic hierarchy.
But with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) now intensifying its probe against the retired IAS officer and one of Haryana’s most powerful civil servants, Murari Lal Tayal is now in trouble at the end of his illustrious career. The ED provisionally attached nine immovable properties—comprising two houses and seven apartments in Chandigarh, New Delhi, and Gurugram—along with a bank balance of Rs 14.06 crore.
The agency announced this via a post on the social media platform X on 7 July, linking the attachments to a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, tied to allegations of disproportionate assets.
“ED, Chandigarh has provisionally attached assets in the form of nine immovable properties including two houses and seven apartments located in Chandigarh, New Delhi & Gurgaon, and bank balances of Rs 14.06 Crore (approximately) on 30/06/2025 under the PMLA, 2002 in connection with ongoing investigation against M.L. Tayal (Retd IAS) and others in the matter of disproportionate assets while serving as Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister of Haryana and Member in Competition Commission of India,” read the post of the Enforcement Directorate on X on 7 July evening.
ED, Chandigarh has provisionally attached assets in the form of nine immovable properties including two houses and seven apartments located in Chandigarh, New Delhi & Gurgaon, and bank balances of Rs. 14.06 Crore (approx.) on 30/06/2025 under the PMLA, 2002 in connection with…
— ED (@dir_ed) July 7, 2025
ThePrint tried to reach Tayal on his mobile through calls, SMS and WhatsApp text. This report will be updated once he responds.
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During Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s first term as Haryana’s Chief Minister (6 March 2005 to 31 October 2009), he served as Principal Secretary to the CM. This role placed him at the nerve centre of the state’s administration, making him one of the most powerful civil servants in Haryana.
During this period, Tayal’s influence was unmatched, with sources describing his authority as near-absolute in administrative circles. “Tayal ki tuti bolti thi (Tayal’s word was law),” a senior official recalled, reflecting his dominance.
After retiring in October 2009, he was appointed by the UPA government as a member of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for a five-year term.
During his term at the CCI, Tayal continued to wield influence in Haryana’s administrative circles during Hooda’s second term (2009–2014), a senior IAS officer told ThePrint, requesting anonymity.
ED’s Investigation and Asset Seizure
A CBI probe into the allegations of a scam into a Manesar land deal during Hooda’s regime led the CBI to register a separate FIR in 2017 against Tayal, Savita, Kartik, Malvika (his family members), and a firm Kappac Pharma Limited under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Indian Penal Code.
The FIR alleged that between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2014, Tayal’s family amassed disproportionate assets worth Rs 10 crore, later revised to Rs 14.06 crore in the CBI’s chargesheet filed on 8 February 2024, before a special court in Panchkula.
The chargesheet claimed these assets were 81.11% above the Tayals’ legitimate income sources.
The ED launched a parallel investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, based on the CBI’s FIR.
On 30 June 2025, the ED’s Chandigarh Zonal Office attached assets worth Rs 14.06 crore after scrutinising the financial dealings, income tax records, and stock market transactions of Tayal, his wife Savita Tayal, and their son Kartik Tayal, as revealed by the ED in its post on X on 7 July.
The Manesar Land Scam Link
Tayal’s troubles are deeply tied to the Manesar land scam, a multi-crore scandal involving alleged irregularities in land acquisitions in Gurugram’s Manesar, Naurangpur, and Lakhnoula villages between 2004 and 2007. The CBI’s initial FIR on 12 August 2015 investigated the role of senior officials, including Tayal, in the release of land acquired by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), allegedly causing a Rs 1,500 crore loss to landowners while benefiting developers and civil servants.
CBI’s separate FIR in 2017 based on evidence from the Manesar probe formed the basis for the ED’s money laundering case.
His wife Savita Tayal, a retired government college principal (2012), last posted at Panchkula, was appointed a member of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) by the Hooda government, serving until June 2016.
His son Kartik Tayal, a law graduate, worked as a land transaction broker in Gurugram, linking the family to the real estate sector central to the Manesar case.
Tayal’s daughter, Malvika Tayal, was also named in the CBI’s 2017 FIR related to disproportionate assets, though her specific role or profession isn’t documented much.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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