Govt orders suspension of J'khand Pollution Board Secretary

Jharkhand Governor MOH Farook today ordered immediate suspension of senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and member secretary of Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) R K Sinha on the charges of financial corruption and accumulating disproportionate assets.

Jharkhand Governor MOH Farook on Saturday ordered immediate suspension of senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and member secretary of Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) R K Sinha on the charges of financial corruption and accumulating disproportionate assets.

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The governor also ordered lodging of criminal cases against Sinha under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) for his alleged involvement in serious charges like accepting bribe, remaining indulged in illegal works and accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Sinha-- who was appointed on the lucrative post of member secretary, JSPCB, in February 2007 during the regime of ex-chief minister Madhu Koda-- came into limelight on February 16-17, 2010 when the Income Tax officials conducted two-day nation-wide raids at 70 places covering 13 cities on the properties of government officials connected with Koda's business associate Binod Sinha. Then, the Income Tax officials had also conducted search operations at the premises of R K Sinha at Ranchi and other places.

A Raj Bhawan official, who didn't want to be quoted, told HT, Sinha was suspended on the basis of a confidential report furnished by the Income Tax department to the state government.

Contacted over his cell phone, Sinha declined to make any comment over the governor's order to suspend him.

The Raj Bhawan official further said, the Governor had also asked to lodge criminal cases against all those officers and employees of the pollution board who were helping Sinha in his alleged corrupt practices.