Official facing charge ‘rewarded’
From Gurpreet Singh
Tribune News Service

FEROZEPORE, Dec 15 — A revenue officer, earlier booked for graft has been ‘awarded’ with a plum post in the district, bringing the state government’s resolve to wipe out corruption under cloud.

The accused, Mr Gurdev Singh Randhawa, who is currently posted as CA to the Deputy Commissioner was booked along with four revenue officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act in 1997. Even as the bureau is awaiting sanction from the state government to prosecute the official the promotion of Mr Randhawa has surprised, many in the administrative circles.

Sources in the Vigilance Bureau revealed that Mr Randhawa, while being a Tehsildar at Moga in 1997 had wrongfully attested an affidavit seeking the transfer of a piece of land to the joint account by an impersonator. Among others booked for the offence were Mr Rajbir Singh, another Tehsildar, two patwaris — Mehar Singh and Sital Dass, one nambardar, a sarpanch of Daudhar village, besides Gujjar Mal, who had the affidavit attested.

Earlier, Mr Madan Lal of Daudhar village had charged in his complaint that his brother Gujjar Mal had got his 56 acres of land transferred to the joint account through impersonation. The sarpanch and the nambardar falsely identified the impersonator as Madan Lal, while the revenue officials cleared the case.

Alleging the connivance of the revenue officials the complainant charged that the land, which was his sole property was transferred to the joint account of five persons, without his knowledge.

Subsequently, the bureau registered a case against the seven accused, including Mr Randhawa at the Ferozepore range office. While the authorities are supposed to examine whether any vigilance or departmental, inquiry is pending against the officials seeking promotion — the bureau officers are wondering how Mr Randhawa made it to the PCS despite having been booked for graft.

While Mr Hardial Singh Mann SP, vigilance, confirmed that the bureau had sought the approval to prosecute Mr Randhawa, a final nod was awaited from the higher authorities in the Revenue Department.

When contacted, Mr Randhawa pleaded not guilty and charged the bureau with dragging his name in the case. Admitting that he might have attested the affidavit, Mr Randhawa, however, said “I did so after the sarpanch and nambardar identified the person presented before me. How am I supposed to know that the person was not Madan Lal”.

Adding that attestation did not amount to an offence in such cases, he claimed that higher authorities in the bureau were considering to drop his name from the case.

Asked how he was promoted to the PCS early this year, when a vigilance case was registered against him, Mr Randhawa contended that his department was not aware of the matter.