Panchayat pradhan suspended for forging gram sabha records

The Panchayat Pradhan of Bhunad in Chamba district has been suspended after being found guilty of forging signatures in the gram sabha proceedings register. The suspension order was issued by the District Panchayat Officer Tilak Raj under the powers vested in him by Section 142(1) of Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994,

The suspension of the panchayat pradhan came after complaints surfaced about forged signatures being used to falsely validate Gram Sabha meetings. Acting on the complaint, the district authorities conducted an investigation and confirmed that fake signatures of several individuals had indeed been recorded.

According to the inquiry report, the gram sabha meetings held on March 23, 2023, and July 27, 2023, were manipulated. During verification, 11 villagers whose signatures appeared in the register denied having signed. Their statements were officially recorded and verified by the concerned Panchayat Secretary.

The District Panchayat Officer said forging entries in the Gram Sabha register is a serious violation of democratic processes and strikes at the foundation of transparency in Panchayati Raj institutions. Officials stressed that such acts of malpractice erode public trust and cannot be ignored.

In light of these findings, the Bhunad panchayat pradhan has been placed under suspension until further orders, while the department pursues further proceedings as per the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act.