Bureaucracy
PCS Officer Caught in Audio Scandal: Instructs Subordinate to Spend Rs 50,000 to Remove Records
A shocking audio clip has surfaced involving an PCS stationed in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. In the recording, the officer, Arunima Srivastava, is heard instructing her subordinate (Peshkar) over the phone to remove certain documents from official records. The urgency in her voice reflects her concern about an ongoing investigation ordered by the District Magistrate (DM), Mangla Prasad Singh. She is heard telling her subordinate that if it takes Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000, or even Rs 50,000 to erase the documents from the records, the expenditure should be made.
The Case
Arunima Srivastava, previously stationed as a Tehsildar in Sawayajpur, was promoted to the position of SDM on June 30, 2023. However, despite her promotion, she issued two backdated orders related to land mutation cases, signing them as Tehsildar. Both cases were from Sawayajpur Tehsil and involved land ownership changes. These orders were allegedly backdated to June 28, 2023, before her promotion was formalized.
The irregularities came to light when it was discovered that official records related to these cases, sent to the district’s archive room on July 12, 2024, contained signatures dated before her promotion. One of the cases involves 0.975 hectares of land from Dighasar village, while another concerns 0.0510 hectares from Barauli village.
Missing Document Adds to Suspicion
Complicating matters further, one crucial document linked to one of the land mutation cases has reportedly gone missing from the records. This missing document is adding to the growing suspicion and scrutiny over the entire matter.
The DM has ordered a thorough investigation, and the leaked audio has only intensified the scandal.