MC attaches Kalia’s salary

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has attached the salary of Rajesh Kalia, BJP councillor and party candidate for the post of Mayor, in a cheque-bounce case.

KK Yadav, MC Commissioner, confirmed that a part of Kalia’s salary had been attached following a court order. Saloni Gupta, Civil Judge, Junior Division, Chandigarh, had directed the MC to attach Kalia’s salary in an order issued last month. The decision to attach the salary is another major embarrassment for Kalia, who is already in the news these days for his “past activities”.

In the order, the Civil Judge had directed the MC Commissioner to deduct a sum of Rs 13,57,757 from Kalia’s salary in monthly instalments and remit it to the court. The order was pronounced after a resident of the city, Harish Chhabra, had sought the attachment of Kalia’s salary to the extent of Rs 13,57,757.

In the order, the court observed that Kalia took a friendly loan of Rs 10 lakh on the promise of repaying it within a week, but failed to do so. Later, Kalia issued a cheque for Rs 10 lakh to Chhabra, which was dishonoured. The court pronounced the decision ex parte after Kalia failed to attend the hearing. The court said since the defendant failed to appear within the stipulated time, as prescribed under Order 37 of the CrPC, the contents of the complaint were deemed to be admitted.