new york25 minutes ago
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Mehul Goswami, an Indian-origin man in America, may face 15 years in jail on moon-lighting charges. Mehul is accused of doing a private job while in a government job and earned extra money from it.
This is a serious class offense in New York. On October 15, Goswami was arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office on charges of second degree grand larceny. Goswami can face a maximum jail term of 15 years in the case.
What is the matter?
39-year-old Mehul was working as a project coordinator in the state government IT department (Office of Information Technology Services) in New York. From this job he earned about Rs 1 crore 18 lakh in 2024.
In March 2022, Mehul also joined Global Foundries, a semiconductor company in Malta near New York, even though he was already working in a government job.
In such a situation, he pretended to be working by taking salary from a government job, while giving all his focus to a private job. From this he earned an extra 50,000 dollars (about Rs 42 lakh).
What did Mehul Goswami do wrong?
Mehul did private work during the hours of government job, causing loss of taxpayers’ money. In American law, this was considered ‘Grand Larceny’ (big theft), which is a serious crime.
What is moonlighting?
Moonlighting means doing side work in your spare time outside of your main job, such as freelancing or tutoring, to earn extra income. It is called ‘Moonlighting’ because earlier people used to do extra work in the moonlight at night. This is done to earn money, increase skills or fulfill a hobby.
How was Mehul Goswami caught?
The investigation against Goswami began with an anonymous email in 2024. In the email, Goswami was accused that while working for the state, he was also working for a private company at the same time.
Inspector General Lucy Lang, who is looking into the case, said,
Public sector employees have the responsibility to work honestly. Goswami’s behavior is a major violation of public trust. Having a second full-time job is a misuse of government resources and taxpayers’ money. This can result in a jail term of up to 15 years.
What are the rules for moonlighting in India?
There is no direct law in India that declares moonlighting as completely illegal or illegal. Therefore it is different for different companies.
- Most companies do not allow employees to join any other company or do business.
- As per the Central Civil Service Contract 1964, moonlighting is completely prohibited for a government employee.
- If your other work affects the work of your main company then it will be considered wrong.
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