Karnal paddy scam: Anticipatory bail of Food & Civil Supplies inspector rejected

Developments so far:

In the FIR registered at City Police Station, Karnal Police have arrested an arhtiya, Naresh Garg, after his role surfaced during the probe. Officials said several other arhtiyas are being questioned regarding the alleged “ghost procurement” network.

So far, six FIRs have been registered in connection with the procurement scam, and six people have been arrested. Two rice millers — Ashok Kumar and Sanjay Kumar of AS Rice Mills, Nanhera village, Indri — booked for paddy shortages, were granted anticipatory bail last month.

In a significant development in the paddy procurement scam that has jolted the state’s foodgrain supply chain, the court of Additional Sessions Judge Rajneesh Kumar has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Sameer Vashisht, an inspector with the Food and Civil Supplies Department posted at the Karnal grain market. Sameer, a resident of Bhiwani, is among several officials and intermediaries accused of facilitating large-scale “ghost procurement” of paddy.

His name figures in two FIRs — one registered at Sadar Police Station for a major stock shortage at a rice mill, and the second at City Police Station under Sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for alleged irregularities in issuing fake gate passes. According to investigators, these fake entries created the impression that farmers had brought paddy to the mandi when, in fact, “the physical stock of paddy and rice was never received”. Yet, payments were cleared, causing “a significant financial loss to the state exchequer,” the police said in court.

The scam unfolded after a physical verification revealed that large quantities of paddy shown as procured on paper had never reached designated mills. Initially, the FIR named Karnal Market Committee secretary Asha Rani, and employees Rajender Kumar of Duhanpur Viran, Amit Kumar of Dadupur Roran and Ajay Kumar of Narukheri. As the probe expanded, the roles of auction recorder Yashpal, suspended mandi supervisor Pankaj Tuli, inspector Sameer and two men from Dabkola village in Uttar Pradesh — Ankit and Ankush — also surfaced. Police have so far arrested Tuli, Ankit and Ankush; Tuli later died at PGI Chandigarh on November 20 after being shifted from jail.

Asha Rani and Yashpal were suspended by the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB), while Sameer was suspended by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department. Both Asha and Yashpal secured interim bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 28, with conditions to join the investigation, surrender passports and seek permission before travelling abroad.

Sameer is additionally named in a separate FIR lodged at Sadar Police Station on a complaint by DFSC Anil Kumar. In that case, he faces allegations alongside mill owner Satish Kumar of M/s Batan Foods, Salaru, and four mandi inspectors over a reported shortage of 12,659.62 quintals of paddy during mill verification.

Confirming developments, Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia said Sameer is accused in both cases and that his plea for pre-arrest bail in the City Police Station case “has been rejected”.