2010-Batch IAS Officer Gaurav Dahiya Also Forced Into Retirement Under Operation Gangajal

After the forced retirement order of K Rajesh, the Gujarat government has also compulsorily retired 2010-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Dr Gaurav Dahiya from service following administrative inquiries into conduct violations and misconduct under the state's crackdown drive, Operation Gangajal.

Dahiya, who was serving as the Additional Development Commissioner in Gandhinagar, was handed forced retirement under civil service conduct and discipline rules. The Gujarat General Administration Department (GAD) executed the order as part of a ongoing effort to purge officers facing severe administrative allegations and corruption charges from state machinery.

From Suspension to Final Exit

Dahiya’s career in Gujarat's bureaucracy has been dogged by controversy for years. He previously held the position of Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Gujarat, during which several administrative complaints emerged regarding his tenure.

The state government first suspended him in August 2019 after an official panel conducted preliminary inquiries into serious personal misconduct allegations. The probe focused on complaints of bigamy, domestic disputes, and financial irregularities submitted by a Delhi-based woman. The allegations triggered a multi-agency inquiry and a departmental review that kept the officer out of active posting for nearly four years.

Short-Lived Reinstatement Before Dismissal

After completing his protracted suspension period, Dahiya secured reinstatement into the state administrative cadre in July 2023. The state posted him as the Additional Development Commissioner in Gandhinagar, a secondary role outside key policy-making departments.

However, state officials confirmed that his reinstatement remained subject to ongoing service evaluations. Operation Gangajal, launched by the state leadership to clean up administrative ranks, reviewed files of civil servants facing integrity and discipline issues. Under fundamental rules governing civil service tenure, state authorities exercised their power to retire officers prematurely whose continued service was deemed contrary to public interest.

The state government's order effectively terminates Dahiya's official tenure, removing him from all administrative responsibilities in the Gujarat cadre with immediate effect.