IDFC First Bank fraud case flagged in Haryana Assembly

A day after the IDFC First Bank Limited revealed a ₹590 crore fraud linked to the Haryana government’s accounts, the Opposition Congress party on Monday (February 23, 2026) flagged the issue during the ongoing Budget session in the State Assembly, even as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that a detailed probe had been ordered in the case.

The alertness of State government departments had shed light on the issue, following which the government had immediately de-empanelled IDFC First Bank, the Chief Minister said. “The statements provided by the bank did not match the records maintained by the concerned departments. The case has been handed over to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and directions have also been issued to constitute a High-Level Committee to conduct a detailed probe,” the CM told the House.

IDFC First Bank had written to the Securities and Exchange Board of India acknowledging irregularities committed by certain bank employees, Mr. Saini said, adding that the bank has also initiated action against the employees concerned. “An FIR (First Information Report) has been registered in connection with the irregularities detected in the bank’s transactions. The bank wrote a letter in this regard on February 21. However, even before the government had taken cognisance of the matter, and on February 18 de-panelled the bank, [the government] directed that the entire amount, along with interest, be transferred to a nationalised bank. The money is completely safe. Every single rupee will be recovered,” he said.

“The investigation will determine whether the irregularity was committed by a bank employee or whether it involved any other individual,” he added.

The practice of departments keeping funds in banks was not new, he said. “Even during the Congress’s tenure, departmental funds were kept in banks. Banks are empanelled from time to time, and new banks continue to be added,” he said.

Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda, raised the issue pertaining to the IDFC First Bank. “It is a massive scam, carried out by manipulating the accounts of 18 government departments,” Mr. Hooda said.

He also raised the issue of the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme being replaced by the Central government. “During the Congress government, workers in Haryana were paid the highest wages in the country. However, as soon as the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) came to power, it attacked the rights of workers. After coming to power, the BJP set about weakening the MGNREGA,” Mr. Hooda said.