CAG officer Desai suspended Research impact
Vishal Desai Bapusaheb, a senior officer in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, has been suspended. A source within the CAG confirmed this Research The suspension order was issued on November 19, a day before the expiry of CAG Girish Chandra Murmu’s tenure.
In Part 1 of our investigative series, The Probe reports on the complaint against Vishal Desai Bapusaheb, an Indian Accounts and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer of the 2010 batch. The complaints, allegedly sent to senior CAG officials, allegedly by a “group of vigilantes” within the C&AG office, detailed allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct against Desai. According to the complainants, Desai is accused of sexually harassing and recruiting young professionals during audits in Mauritius. Additional allegations include alleged bribery in recruitment under the sports quota and filling vacancies at the CAG headquarters over the past four years through bribery.
In August 2024, despite complaints of a serious nature against Desai, he was appointed as a director in the Office of the Principal Director of Audit in London.where he assumed office in September 2024. Concerns raised by senior officials within the CAG asking for an inquiry into Desai’s conduct were ignored. It was only on October 23, 2024 that the C&AG issued an order recalling Desai to India citing “administrative reasons”. He was re-designated as Senior Deputy Accountant General in Jaipur, Rajasthan with instructions to assume his new role till November 10, 2024.
The probe had earlier reported that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was alerted to the allegations against Desai in December 2023. This raised critical questions: why an inquiry was not set up in time, and why Desai was allowed to be held high. Posting a profile in London, only to be returned within weeks? In a phone conversation with The Probe, Desai dismissed the allegations as driven by “internal politics within the organization”.
Research On 14 November, CAG sent a detailed questionnaire to Girishchandra Murmu, seeking clarification on the decision to send Desai to London despite serious allegations and concerns raised by senior management within the organisation. Questions also sought details of the measures taken to investigate the allegations and the outcome of any inquiry.
In response, the CAG office said that “the posting orders of Mr. Vishal Desai were issued before the complaints were received. The allegations were thoroughly investigated as per the existing DoPT provisions. Thereafter, a systematic study was conducted on the relevant matters, and he was transferred from London on administrative grounds after more serious allegations surfaced against him. India was recalled. His presence in India was necessary to ensure that the allegations were investigated independently and impartially.
However, the CAG’s rationale is unconvincing. If the PMO was alerted in December 2023 and the C&AG received the complaints in August 2024, why was Desai allowed to leave India at government expense, only to be returned weeks later?
On November 19, sources confirmed to The Probe that Desai had been suspended.
(This story will be updated as new information becomes available.)
Click here and here to read Part 1 and Part 2 of our research series on CAG.