Retired Army officer alleges corruption in Chandigarh Club management

A retired Army officer and permanent voting member of Chandigarh Club, Anil Kabotra, has filed a plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, alleging severe irregularities in the club’s management. Kabotra claims that the club’s annual general meeting has not been convened for over 8 years, violating the Companies Act.

Kabotra’s application is part of an ongoing case filed in 2016 against the Chandigarh Administration and other respondents. He asserts that the club management’s failure to hold meetings and provide explanations for this omission is alarming. Furthermore, Kabotra alleges that the management has exploited club funds, failed to deposit lease money due to the government, and engaged in corrupt practices. “The fact can be highlighted from the annual report prepared by the club, which duly depicts a demand of approximately Rs 2.96 crore as on December 31, 2023, by the Estate Office,” he added.

Kabotra said he wanted to highlight malpractices within the “club management and high level of corruption/fraud/manipulation of accounts and embezzlement of funds”. “The fact can be highlighted through various instances which would show how even illegal transactions are undertaken by the club management to grant memberships to people by manipulating the categories under which they have been granted the same,” he submitted.

Kabotra added the entire exercise of inducting unauthorised members was being done at the cusp of the club management election. “Further, it has also come to light that there is a mass scale manipulation in the accounting of membership fees in the club, which has to be thoroughly investigated by way of a forensic audit. At some instances, membership is being given to unknown people at a heavily discounted rate without any justifiable cause or reason. Also, the membership money is being embezzled out of the club accounts and being utilised for personal gain,” he said.

The plea, yet to come up for hearing, alleges that unauthorised and discounted memberships were being granted to individuals falsely presented as relatives of existing club members, even though they have no actual connection.