Punjab and Haryana high court orders CBI probe into Bhiwani MC scam

The allegation in one case was that the then chairman, vice chairman and other officials, along with the bank officials and touts, committed a scam worth crores of public money by way of issuing cheques from the account of the MC to some bogus company in 2019

The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered a preliminary probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an alleged scam reported in Bhiwani municipal council (MC) in 2022 and submit its report within four months.

As CBI had claimed that it is facing an “acute shortage” of staff, the court asked the state to provide a deputy superintendent of police rank officers to facilitate the conduct of the preliminary inquiry by the CBI. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The high court acted on the plea from one Suhsil Kumar Verma, who had petitioned high court in 2022 seeking CBI probe and alleged that lapses were committed by the investigating agency and they deliberately misdirected the investigation to extend benefits to the persons who are “beneficiaries” in ensuring disposal of the state property and misappropriation of the revenue of the municipal council.

The allegation in one case was that the then chairman, vice chairman and other officials, along with the bank officials and touts, committed a scam worth crores of public money by way of issuing cheques from the account of the MC to some bogus company in 2019. Also, the land of the public toilets was illegally converted into shops and sold out with the connivance of the private persons by the officials. There were also allegations of embezzlement of the funds meant for the rejuvenation and revamp of the public ponds and carving out plots on them and encroachment of the same by near and dear ones of the accused persons. Five FIRs were registered on different complaints in 2022. Then MC chairman Ran Singh Yadav and executive officer Sanjay Yadav were arrested also in one of the FIRs but the state police allegedly did not properly investigate the FIRs because of “protection and patronage” in the present government, it was alleged.

“..it seems that the allegation needs to be examined independently. The allegations have been levelled against officers who have the potential to destroy evidence and influence the independent investigation. Huge public property is alleged to have squandered, encroached, sold and misappropriated,” the bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj observed, adding that before proceeding further in the matter, CBI is directed to conduct a preliminary inquiry.

As CBI had claimed that it is facing an “acute shortage” of staff, the court asked the state to provide a deputy superintendent of police rank officers to facilitate the conduct of the preliminary inquiry by the CBI.