HP CM okays trial of 2 top ex-bureaucrats

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 5 

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has granted permission to prosecute two retired IAS officers, including former Chief Secretary Ravi Dhingra, in a case filed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau against Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal.

It is learnt that Virbhadra Singh — before leaving for Delhi for his daughter’s wedding — gave the go-ahead to the Personnel Department to prosecute Ravi Dhingra, a former Chief Secretary, and former Home Secretary PC Kapoor.

The name of the two retired officers figures in the Vigilance case filed against former Chief Minister PK Dhumal for allowing IPS officer AN Sharma to rejoin service after having sought retirement to contest the Assembly election in December 2007.

“The Chief Minister has given the sanction to prosecute the two officers. The file has been sent to the Law Department for vetting after which the sanction for prosecution will be granted,” said a source. It is learnt that the permission to prosecute AN Sharma, former IPS officer, had been granted last week. 

Dhingra was the Chief Secretary and PC Kapoor was Principal Secretary (Home) during the BJP regime headed by Dhumal when the decision to allow Sharma to re-join service was taken. 

Dhumal has been maintaining that the case is politically motivated and there was no wrongdoing or irregularity on his part as Sharma was allowed to continue because he made a plea before the government.