Probe a classic case of pick and choose: Court

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 4

CBI Special Judge Jagdeep Singh has termed investigation into the Manesar land scam as a classic example of pick and choose as some accused were initially left out of the charge sheet.

While summoning five more persons as additional accused, including Home Secretary Rajeev Arora and former Director, Industries, DR Dhingra, who were left out by the investigating officer (IO) in the charge sheet, the judge said, “The IO was either adamant to extend benefit to the persons arrayed as accused or to extend benefit to the persons against whom there are clear-cut and prima facie circumstances, but have not been arraigned as accused.”

In a detailed order, the judge said the IO had chosen “to turn a blind eye to the role of some important public servants whose acts can be termed to be more culpable than the persons arrayed as accused”. The order said, “Such isolated instances are enough to bring the sobriquet of ‘caged parrot’ to the agency.” In case of Arora, the court directed the CBI to place the entire incriminating material before the state government for sanction to try him under the Prevention of Corruption Act though there was no bar on prosecuting him for criminal conspiracy and cheating under the IPC.

Arora was Managing Director of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) when the land release orders were issued. The court said the IO “seems to turn Nelson’s eye” to the state of affairs as he drew the conclusion that the deferment of announcement of award by the HSIIDC was on the basis of a letter dated June 20, 2007, of the Town and Country Planning Department.

The court observed that the facts on record reflected that “through a devious design the office of MD, HSIIDC, and Director, Industries and Commerce, made every attempt to delay the announcement of award, which could ultimately lead to its final abandonment”.