E-Paper
HC issues notice as PIL seeks CBI probe against forest officer
After a petition sought a CBI inquiry against VK Jhanjaria, conservator of forests, Hisar, for alleged financial irregularities, the Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notices of motion to the central and Haryana governments, besides the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Jhanjaria.
After a petition sought a CBI inquiry against VK Jhanjaria, conservator of forests, Hisar, for alleged financial irregularities, the Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notices of motion to the central and Haryana governments, besides the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Jhanjaria.
Gurgaon resident Harinder Dhingra filed the public-interest litigation (PIL) upon which an HC division bench comprising acting chief justice MM Kumar and justice Alok Singh issued the notices on Friday.
Dhingra, who claims to be a Right to Information (RTI) activist, has informed the court that a state vigilance inquiry against Jhanjaria, who allegedly possesses assets disproportionate to his knows sources of income, was underway since April 21 last year but no action had been taken till date.
Dhingra also requested for a CBI inquiry into a case of bungling in the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Jind, pending against Jhanjaria, and sought directions to restrain Jhanjaria from holding office in any sensitive field posting as probes are on against him.
The bench was informed that in a letter dated June 21, 2007, Haryana’s financial commissioner (forests) told the financial commissioner (rural development) about irregularities committed by Jhanjaria in a scheme sanctioned by the Centre, called Haryali, in 2004-05.
Subsequently, the Jind deputy commissioner referred to that letter and on May 3, 2010, said that apart from departmental proceedings, criminal action should also be initiated against Jhanjaria.
The bench was informed that during the years 2005-06 and 2008-09, Jhanjaria had claimed to have spent Rs 16 crore of government money on plantation in Jind, where he was the district forest officer (DFO). But the area available for plantation was not in consonance with the claim.
The matter would now come up for hearing on July 24.
