FIR registered against 5, including former minister Sukhbir Kataria, over ‘misuse’ of govt grant
Kataria says SIT has been formed twice, and the case has been given a clean chit
Gurugram police have registered a case under the anti-corruption act against five people, including senior Congress leader and former minister Sukhbir Kataria, following court orders for allegedly misusing a government grant.
The case relates to an alleged fraudulent grant of around Rs 20 lakh sanctioned for repairs of a house in Veer Nagar Colony.
Hearing a petition filed by Om Prakash Kataria, a resident of Sector 12, a Gurugram court deemed the matter serious and ordered the registration of an FIR. The petition, filed a year ago, alleged that Sukhbir Kataria, while serving as a minister, had issued the grant for the property shown under the names of Anant Singh, Sharmila Devi and Basanti Devi, even though the house is actually in the former minister’s name.
Documents, including electricity bills, were presented to the court, directly linking the house to the former minister.
He added that the court, after taking cognisance of the petition, had requested an action-taken report from the police. However, the police filed two reports, each giving Kataria a clean chit. The court also questioned the police report, stating that while the grants were confirmed, their validity was not properly verified.
Observing that the allegations, if true, could constitute a cognisable offence, the court ordered registration of an FIR and ordered an impartial investigation.
A senior police officer said an FIR has been registered at New Colony police station on court directions and a detailed investigation is under way.
When contacted, Kataria said that an SIT has been formed twice, and the case has been given a clean chit. He said he has full faith in the judiciary and will cooperate with the investigation. He added that government grants are given through the DC and SDM after verification.
