CHANDIGARH, Aug. 27 — The Punjab government on Wednesday revoked the suspension of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) SPS Parmar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varinder Singh Brar, reinstating both officers with immediate effect. Separate orders were issued by the state home department, officials confirmed.
Parmar, a 1997-batch IPS officer, was suspended on April 25 in connection with alleged irregularities in the state’s automated driving licence test system while serving as head of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The case involved the manipulation of recorded driving test videos to falsely certify applicants. Though the Vigilance Bureau had access to evidence, Parmar’s leadership was accused of delaying action and failing to escalate the probe, prompting the Aam Aadmi Party government to suspend him.
Alongside Parmar, two Punjab Police Service officers — Swarandeep Singh, assistant inspector general at the Vigilance Bureau in SAS Nagar, and Harpreet Singh, SSP Vigilance Bureau Jalandhar — were also suspended. Both were reinstated on May 18, with their suspension period counted toward their service tenure. Police circles at the time described the move as restoring not only service but also “the pride” of the officers, amid suggestions the suspensions had been imposed in haste.
Parmar’s reinstatement took longer as, being an IPS officer, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Union home ministry were required to be informed before Punjab could revoke the order, a senior police official noted.
SSP Varinder Singh Brar was suspended separately on May 28, while serving in Fazilka, after four police officials in his district were arrested for allegedly taking a ₹1 lakh bribe from the family of a minor boy whose phone had been confiscated for accessing banned pornographic websites. Brar was held responsible for failing to act in time as the supervisory officer. However, a subsequent inquiry cleared him of wrongdoing, paving the way for his reinstatement.
Officials said Brar has been directed to report to the office of the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP).
