Haryana women panel vice-chairperson fired after arrest on bribery charges

Sonia Aggarwal was arrested in December last year for allegedly demanding Rs 1 lakh from a teacher to settle a case related to his marital dispute.

Women commission’s vice-chairperson, Sonia Aggarwal. (Image: hscw.in)

The Haryana government on Friday terminated the services of its women commission’s vice-chairperson Sonia Aggarwal nearly a month after she was caught on bribery charges by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

“As per Section 4 sub-section (3) of The Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012, the services of Sonia Aggarwal, vice-chairperson, Haryana State Commission for Women are hereby terminated with immediate effect,” the order issued by Amneet P Kumar, Commissioner and Secretary, Haryana Women and Child Development Department, read.

It was on December 15 that the ACB allegedly caught Aggarwal’s driver, Kulbir, in Hisar while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. On the basis of his disclosure statement, the ACB then raided Aggarwal’s residence in Sonipat and arrested her too.

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Aggarwal and Kulbir were arrested after Anil, a junior basic training teacher and resident of Bahadurgarh, approached the ACB and lodged a complaint against them. Anil’s marital dispute with his wife, a Haryana Police employee, had reached the State Women’s Commission after she approached Aggarwal. Anil told the ACB that on December 12, Aggarwal chaired a counselling meeting between him and his wife. After the meeting, Kulbir allegedly approached Anil and demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to settle the case.

Aggarwal claimed in court that she had been “falsely implicated in the case”.

While Kulbir was remanded in police custody for a day, Aggarwal was then sent to judicial custody.

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Haryana