Ahmed, who was selected for the top post by a Search-cum-Selection-Committee (SCSC) in December 2022, has been summarily repatriated to his parent cadre, NBCC (India) Limited. Key sources indicated that he will return to NBCC at the rank of Executive Director, where he is expected to face a formal charge-sheet and subsequent disciplinary proceedings.

The move follows a rigorous scrutiny by the vigilance wing, whose findings were reportedly deemed "substantive" by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). According to highly placed sources, the case involves a wider web of administrative lapses including misappropriation and manipulations in capital-intensive projects. It may also be underlined that a total of 11 senior officials have been charge-sheeted in connection with the investigation. While six of these officials were later reinstated pending further inquiry, five—including Ahmed—remain under the scanner of the disciplinary authorities.

In the wake of the termination, the Ministry has moved quickly to fill the leadership vacuum. Praveer Kumar (IA & AS: 1999), a Joint Secretary (NUDM) within MoHUA, has been handed the additional charge of Managing Director of HSCC with immediate effect.

The abrupt exit of a hand-picked SCSC appointee underscores the Centre’s tightening grip on governance standards within Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), particularly those involved in high-value consultancy and infrastructure projects.