Former DG of Tihar Prisons Sandeep Goel suspended, month after transfer

The Ministry of Home Affairs took this decision after conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar made explosive allegations against Goel.

Pic Credit: File Photo

NEW DELHI: Former Delhi Prisons chief Sandeep Goel has been suspended as per reports. The Ministry of Home Affairs ordered his suspension on Wednesday night (December 21) for dereliction of his duty as per ANI. This action came a month after Goel was transferred and asked to report to Delhi Police Headquarters. The Ministry of Home Affairs took this decision after conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar made allegations against Goel that he paid the latter "protection money" for his safety in Mandoli Jail where was he lodged in connection with a Rs 200 crore money laundering case.

Chandrashekhar, who is currently incarcerated in Mandoli prison in Delhi, had written a letter to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, accusing Satyendar Jain, a jailed minister from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Goel of extortion.

Chandrashekhar had also alleged that he made payments totaling INR 50 crore (approximately $6.7 million) to Jain, Goel, and the AAP in exchange for a prominent position in the party in southern India as per reports.

These allegations had caused a political uproar, with the AAP's rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress party, targeting the party's leader, Arvind Kejriwal. The Lieutenant Governor's office had forwarded Chandrashekhar's letter to the Delhi Chief Secretary, Naresh Kumar, on October 18 for further action.

(With agency inputs)