Chandigarh: Ex-estate officer gets warning over 4-year delay in property transfer

Applicants Deepa Duggal and her daughter Guneeta Grover filed an application on January 27, 2021, seeking transfer of 50% ownership of the property; but the process remained pending for years

Taking strict action over the inordinate delay of more than four years in transferring 50% ownership of a house in Sector 9-D, the Chandigarh Right to Service Commission has issued a recordable warning to former assistant estate officer (AEO) Harjeet Singh Sandhu and penalised other officials for lapses.

Under the Right to Service Act, property transfer cases must be resolved within 40 working days. However, the matter remained pending for years. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A recordable warning is a written admonition for minor misconduct that is placed in a government employee’s confidential report (CR), forming part of their service record and impacting performance assessments and future promotions.

According to the commission’s order, applicants Deepa Duggal and her daughter Guneeta Grover filed an application on January 27, 2021, seeking transfer of 50% ownership of the property.

Under the Right to Service Act, such cases must be resolved within 40 working days. However, the matter remained pending for years.

During proceedings, the Estate Office claimed that the original property file had been seized by the CBI in December 2015 in connection with another case and was submitted as evidence before the special CBI judge, Chandigarh. It was only in October 2021—10 months after the transfer request—that the office wrote to CBI authorities requesting the file, if no longer required.

The commission questioned the delay in communicating with the CBI and the failure to inform applicants of the seized file. Examination of the noting sheets revealed that clerk Rakesh Kumar repeatedly delayed moving the file to senior officers. He was fined ₹7,000 and disciplinary action has been recommended against him. Similarly, Shiv Kumar, senior assistant, was fined ₹3,000 for negligence.

AEO Harjeet Singh Sandhu was issued a recordable warning for failing to properly supervise his subordinates and not informing the applicants that the file was in CBI custody.