Bigamy charge: Guj IAS officer appears before women's panel

Suspended IAS officer Gaurav Dahiya on Monday appeared before the Gujarat State Commission for Women in connection with the allegations of bigamy and cheating levelled against him by a Delhi-based woman.

Dahiya was last week summoned by the women's commission in Gandhinagar to register his statement after the panel received the complaint from the woman, who alleged that Dahiya cheated her by getting married to her without divorcing his first wife.

After meeting Dahiya on Monday, the commission's chairperson, Leelaben Ankoliya, said the panel may call the suspended officer and the woman for a joint questioning to get clarity in the matter.

"During today's meeting, Dahiya gave an explanation on various issues pertaining to the allegations he is facing. We had detailed discussions on all the charges he is facing. If needed, we may hold a joint questioning of both the woman and Dahiya in future," Ankoliya told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Dahiya, a 2010-batch Gujarat-cadre officer, was suspended by the state government on August 14.

The government initiated disciplinary action against him for "serious charges of misconduct and moral turpitude".

The woman accused Dahiya of marrying her in 2018 by concealing the fact that he was already married.

During her representation to Ankoliya a week back, the woman demanded a DNA test of her eight-month-old daughter to establish that Dahiya is her biological father.

Dahiya earlier denied that he even married the woman, and accused her of trying to blackmail him and extort money from him.