Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 25: Following the explicit directions of the Division Bench of High Court, the State Vigilance Organization (SVO) today presented three separate challans against six tainted officers including two IAS in the illegal and backdoor appointments case.
The much-awaited challans were presented against the then Director Local Bodies, Jammu (now retired) Avtar Krishan Raina (IAS), son of Ram Chand Raina, resident of Poonch House, Talab Tillo, the then Director Local Bodies, Jammu (now retired), Mohinder Singh, son of Major Pyara Singh, resident of Channi Himmat, the then Administrator Notified Area Committee Katra (now retired) Kartar Singh, resident of Kathua, the then Administrator NAC Katra (now retired), Sham Lal Sharma, son of Prem Nath of Katra, the then Executive Officer NAC Katra, Ravi Kumar, son of Dewan Chand, resident of Katra and the then Administrator NAC Katra (now retired), Jagdish Raj Sharma, son of Jai Lal Sharma, resident of Upper Shiv Nagar, Jammu.
According to the challans, the case against these tainted officers was registered in pursuant to the complaint received in the State Vigilance Organization regarding illegal appointments made in NAC Katra.
During preliminary verification by the Vigilance Organization, it came to fore that Mohinder Singh, the then Director Local Bodies, Ravi Kumar, then Incharge Executive Officer, NAC Katra and others hatched a criminal conspiracy to make the illegal appointments in NAC.
These officers appointed their own as well as relatives of other officers of NAC in violation of laid down procedure/ recruitment norms fixed by the Government thus extended illegal pecuniary benefits to the beneficiaries (appointees).
During the course of investigation, the records having bearing on the subject matter of the case were seized, statements of the witnesses recorded and the admitted handwritings of the accused and the questioned documents were sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Jammu for comparison.
On the basis of seized record, statement of witnesses and opinion furnished by FSL, prima facie offences punishable under Section 5(1)(d) read with 5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 and Section 120-B, 467, 468 and 471 RPC were established against these accused officers for making appointments of eight beneficiaries by illegal means, in utter violation of all recruitment rules and without adhering to the normal process of advertisement.
In respect of Ravi Kumar Sharma, who is still in Government service, the Vigilance Organization had to seek prosecution sanction from the Housing and Urban Development Department while as in respect of other accused persons, there was no need to obtain sanction as they had already superannuated from the Government service.
It is worthwhile to mention here that Vigilance Organization started the process of filing challans against the tainted officers only after the Division Bench of State High Court took serious note of inordinate delay in this regard and passed explicit directions in Public Interest Litigation recently.
The challans were produced in the court of Special Judge Anticorruption, Jammu and the next date of hearing is October 22, 2012.
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