Gujarat Govt Compulsorily Retires Two IAS Officers Under ‘Operation Gangajal’
The Gujarat government has gone and compulsorily retired two IAS officers. It happened on Thursday, 1 October. The names are K Rajesh and Gaurav Dahiya. They’re calling this part of Operation Gangajal, which is basically the state’s ongoing clean-up drive against officers who’ve got corruption charges, disciplinary cases or serious misconduct hanging over them. K Rajesh is from the 2011 batch. He’s been under suspension for years now, ever since the CBI picked him up in 2022. That was over his time as Surendranagar collector between 2018 and 2021. The allegations were pretty serious – taking bribes for arms licences, illegal land allotments, regularising encroachments, the whole lot. Later the Enforcement Directorate also got involved under the money laundering law. He’s only around 40 and had about 20 years of service still left. Now he’s out. Gaurav Dahiya is a 2010-batch officer. He was working as additional development commissioner in Gandhinagar when the order came. He’d been suspended earlier, back in 2019, over allegations of misconduct, moral turpitude, bigamy and some cheating complaints from a woman. He got reinstated in 2023 after almost four years and continued in the post. But after a fresh review of his service record, the government decided he wasn’t suitable to continue. He’s 42 and had roughly 18 years left till normal retirement in 2044. That’s gone now. Officials are saying this followed a proper review. The Department of Personnel and Training at the Centre looked at the last 15 years or so of their service under the new All India Services rules. A committee headed by the chief secretary went through everything from the angle of integrity and suitability. Both were found unsuitable under Rule 13 of the All India Services Rules. The Gujarat government just followed through and issued the premature retirement orders with effect from 1 October. Operation Gangajal isn’t brand new. It’s been running for a while as a broader effort to weed out officers facing integrity issues or serious departmental proceedings. Quite a few Class I and Class II officials have already been either suspended or given compulsory retirement under it. This time it’s hit two mid-level IAS officers, which is why it’s making more noise. Rajesh comes from Andhra Pradesh originally. He did his B.Tech in electrical and electronics from Pondicherry University and ranked 103 in the UPSC exam. He started as assistant collector in Junagadh, worked in Surat, and then became Surendranagar collector. That’s where the trouble started according to the CBI charge sheet. Dahiya’s earlier suspension in 2019 was based on complaints of personal misconduct and financial irregularities. After he came back he was handling the additional development commissioner role until this latest decision. The government side is presenting it as a straightforward administrative step in public interest. They’re saying officers whose continued service is not in the larger interest of the administration or the public can be retired early under the rules. No big political statements, just the formal orders through the General Administration Department. People in the bureaucracy are naturally talking about it. When two IAS officers get sent home years before their time, it does create a bit of a stir. Some see it as the state getting serious about cleaning house. Others are just watching to see if more names come up next. The drive has already touched more than 30 officials of different ranks earlier, so this fits the pattern. For now the two officers are out. Rajesh was already sitting at home under suspension. Dahiya was still working till the order landed. Compulsory retirement means they get whatever pension and benefits the rules allow for premature exit, but their careers in the service are finished. That’s the update from Gujarat. Two officers shown the door under Operation Gangajal after reviews of their records and the cases against them. The government says it’s about integrity and suitability for service. The cases themselves – the CBI and ED probes against Rajesh, the earlier complaints against Dahiya – have been public knowledge for years. This is just the administrative conclusion of those processes. Sources: Hindustan Times, Times of India, Indian Express, DeshGujarat, Bhaskar English, Gujarat Samachar and related reports from 1-2 October 2026. Publisher By – Rohit Manral Written By – Anjali Pandey