Haryana State Warehousing Corporation MD for CBI probe into recruitment scam

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, May 10

Sanjiv Verma, Managing Director, Haryana State Warehousing Corporation, has demanded that cases related to recruitments in the corporation and the one against him, filed by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Science and Technology, Ashok Khemka, should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation for “proper investigation”.

Two FIRs registered

• On April 26, the Haryana Police had registered FIR no. 170 at Sector 5 police station of Panchkula against Ashok Khemka for alleged fraud in recruitments conducted in 2009 on the complaint of MD HSWC.
• Also, another FIR no. 171 was registered the same day against Verma on the complaint of Khemka for alleged tampering with documents.

On April 26, the Haryana Police had registered FIR no. 170 at Sector 5 police station of Panchkula against Ashok Khemka for alleged fraud in recruitments conducted in 2009 on the complaint of MD HSWC. Also, another FIR no. 171 was registered the same day against Verma on the complaint of Khemka for alleged tampering with documents. The FIR against Verma was registered when Home Minister Anil Vij ordered for the same, while accompanying Khemka to DCP Panchkula’s office.

In a letter written to ACS, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Sumita Misra, dated May 9, Verma wrote, “It is requested that the state government may transfer counter-FIR no. 171 lodged by Ashok Khemka as well as FIR no. 170 lodged by me to the CBI for proper investigation in order to extract the truth.”

The copy has also been marked to Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to CM and Agriculture Minister.

Earlier, vide a letter dated May 6, Misra ordered seizing the recruitment record and keeping it in safe custody away from Verma. The record, including screening committee of candidates, relevant file notings, the record of interviews by Executive Committee, Board of Directors, complaints made by the complainant, the past correspondence between HSWC and state government, past inquiries, police report on a reference from Lokayukta etc, was handed over to Deputy Secretary Agriculture on May 8.

Verma, in his letter to Misra dated May 9, said, “It is submitted that the allegation of Ashok Khemka, IAS, in various newspapers and to the state government that the record shall be tampered with is baseless. Khemka, the then Managing Director, by directly interfering in the matter is trying to linger on the inquiry as the recruitments were made during his tenure and he was the appointing authority at that time. Further, since unqualified candidates have been selected, it is essential that to complete the process of law, they must be penalised for which the original record may be required in the near future.”