Govt in dilemma over prosecution nod to Sanan

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 22

The government seems to be in a dilemma over withdrawing the prosecution sanction, granted by the previous Congress regime, against former IAS officer Deepak Sanan in the HPCA case.

Sanan, who retired in February last year as Additional Chief Secretary, had been at the receiving end during the Congress regime for granting the land transfer permission to the HPCA for the stadium and hotel in Dharamsala. The Virbhadra government had granted permission to prosecute Sanan, a 1982 batch Himachal cadre officer, which the present regime is keen to withdraw.

It is learnt that the file for withdrawing the prosecution sanction sent to the Law Department has now been returned without any favourable comments for initiating the process. Sanan had made a request to the government to withdraw the permission to prosecute him in the HPCA case. However, the department is of the opinion that there is no new development or fact that has come to light in the case so as to withdraw the sanction.

Sanan could not be prosecuted in the case during the Congress regime as the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) turned down the government’s request to prosecute him. The DoPT had also denied the prosecution sanction in case of Ajay Sharma, another IAS officer of the 2003 batch, in the HPCA case. The case relates to the alleged irregularities in grant of land, construction of hotel and allowing undertaking of commercial activities by the HPCA, headed by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur.

The FIR had been registered against Sanan and Sharma on August 1, 2013, in the Vigilance Bureau Police Station at Dharamsala under Section 120-B of the IPC and Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Sanan was posted as Principal Secretary (Revenue) and Sharma as Director and Special Secretary, Youth Services and Sports Department when the decision for grant of land for the HPCA was made.

Sanan had been accused of misusing his official position and conniving with others to issue an NOC for the commercial use of the land leased to the HPCA for the construction of Hotel Pavilion by reversing the earlier decision of the Council of Ministers, giving undue benefit to the cricket body. Sharma had been accused of approving the proposal of the HPCA regarding the construction of Club House in the cricket stadium for commercial use.

The process for withdrawing the prosecution sanction against former Chief Minister PK Dhumal has been initiated in the case.