Ex-chief gets interim relief in MC property scam

Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 21

The court of Fazilka Additional Sessions Judge has granted interim relief to Shiv Raj Goyal, former president of the Abohar Municipal Council, in the property scam that came to fore during his term in 2010.

Goyal is an office-bearer in the state BJP Yuva Morcha and son of former BJP MLA Dr Ram Kumar Goyal.

The Local Bodies Department had served chargesheet in August last year to three former Executive Officers (EOs) Jagsir Singh Dhaliwal, Bhushan Aggarwal and Bhushan Rana of the council in connection with Rs 71-lakh property scam.

Senior IAS officer RC Nayyar (retd) has now initiated an inquiry under the Punjab Service Rules and the “tainted” EOs had been told to appear before him.

It had been alleged that the MC staff had tampered with the conditions laid for the auction of 13 commercial plots on Nai Sadak held on August 20, 2010, by allegedly forging the signatures of former MC president Goyal and former EO Dhaliwal to illegally benefit the allottees.

In the forged copy, the rate of interest was reduced from 18 per cent to 7 per cent, transfer fee from 3 per cent to 1 per cent and the clause for 10 per cent extra charges against the corner plot was removed.

The MC also passed the site plans for construction of two shops in the Nai Sadak market even when the sale deed was yet to be registered.

The Deputy Director, Local Bodies, Ferozepur, and the Regional Director (Audit), Bathinda, had conducted preliminary investigations and found the allegations levelled in the complaints substantial.

Custodian of the record Jaspal Singh, clerk in the MC, was granted bail by the High Court on August 24, 2016.

Moving a bail application through his counsel, Goyal submitted that he was not mentioned in the FIR initially, but later due to political influence on February 6, 2018, was involved in the case.

Disposing of the application, the court said custodial interrogation of Goyal in this case was not indispensable for effective investigation nor pre-trial custody would be in the interest of justice.