HC denies relief to IAS officers

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 9

Justice Rajan Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed petitions filed by two bureaucrats and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) against either summoning them as additional accused or ordering further investigations against them in a case alleging misappropriation of government funds.

IAS officers RC Verma and A Mona Sreenivas, along with other petitioners, had moved the HC against the Kaithal Sessions Judge’s order. The court had concluded that then Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) RC Verma, bank officers P Balakrishanan and Ram Kumar Gupta, along with DSP Narapjeet Singh, were required to be summoned as additional accused. The court directed further investigation against ADC Dinesh Yadav, the complainant, and A Mona Sreenivas.

The case has its genesis in a letter by the Kaithal ADC for registration of an FIR. He alleged that an employee, Inderjeet Singh, had dealt with various government schemes.

An inquiry revealed that the official, by committing forgery in signed cheques, withdrew amount in excess of what was shown in the cashbook and vouchers, with intent to misappropriate government funds.

Inderjeet Singh had subsequently sought the summoning of IAS officers RC Verma, BB Kaushik and A Mona Sreenivas, along with complainant Dinesh Yadav, as additional accused.

Justice Gupta asserted that forged cheques were allowed to be cleared as genuine. Apparently, paltry sums were to be paid by the authority to certain individuals. By making interpolation in each cheque, the amount was enhanced to lakhs. It was not clear how the cheques, which passed through various stages at the official level, were signed by DDOs and cleared by the bank without any eyebrow being raised.

Despite clear forensic opinion regarding forgery in cheques, DSP Narapjeet Singh did not interrogate the DDOs or bank officials. Instead, he cited them as prosecution witnesses, casting serious doubts about his role as the investigating officer. “Besides, there is an issue regarding recording of statement of BB Kaushik by DSP Narapjeet Singh. The trial court found that he had made a false statement in court and this offence was punishable under Section 218 of the IPC. The trial court, thus, rightly decided to summon Narapjeet Singh as an additional accused,” the court observed.

“It is on record that cheques amounting to Rs 27 lakh were drawn and encashed on the last day of posting of RC Verma, then Additional Deputy Commissioner. Though the total amount drawn on the last day was much more, at least cheques of Rs 27 lakh were forged. Surprisingly, the investigating officer did not even interrogate Verma,” the court noted.

Justice Gupta also directed SIT to complete the probe, if pending against the remaining accused, within six weeks.