LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, April 30: The 34th Jharkhand National Games scam and Khunti district MNREGA scam are two high profile cases where the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jharkhand either compromised its professionalism or was forced to shield high-ups who are supposedly involved in the corruption. Both cases pertain to the same period 2010.
The ACB’s alleged inaction recently left the Jharkhand High Court annoyed during the hearing of the case of the 34th National Games scam.
On April 11, a division bench of Chief Justice Dr. Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad directed the CBI to investigate the scam as well as the role of police officials who kept investigations of the cases pending for the last 12 years.
The court directed the ACB to hand over all documents of the cases to the CBI including the construction of the sports complex.
The court slammed the agency and the government for duping the judiciary by submitting a false affidavit that the ACB was also investigating the scam pertaining to the construction of the Mega Sports Complex.
The ACB lodged the only FIR 49/2010 pertaining to the purchase of sports equipment and according to the ACB, the scam was to the tune of Rs 28 Crore. But the most interesting thing of the entire episode was that, irrespective of who was in power, over a decade officials made the court and people believed that the ACB was investigating the entire case.
“Further, even the persons at the helms of affairs i.e., political as well as high-ups in the bureaucracy, have duped the Court by filing false affidavit regarding handing over the investigation pertaining to the construction of Mega sports Complex to the Vigilance Bureau while the functionary of investigating agency itself has stated before this Court that no such investigation has been handed over to the Vigilance Bureau,” the court observed.
“This puts a serious question mark upon the investigating agency, the officials and all high-ups,” the court put a big question mark on the credibility of the ACB.
ACB’s classic smokescreen in Khunti district MNREGA scam
A massive scam worth over Rs 18.16 Crore took place in MNREGA and other projects in the Khunti district where the kingpin was a Junior Engineer Ram Binod Prasad Sinha. No proper investigation was apparently done to know whether he was a kingpin or a small fish. Pooja Singhal served as DC of Khunti for a considerable period. As many as 16 FIRs were lodged against him and others. Pooja Singhal as the deputy commissioner of Khunti and district programme coordinator of the MNREGA served from February 2009 till July 2010. Under section 23 of the manual of the MNREGA, the district programme coordinator is mandated to ensure accountability and transparency in the MNREGA schemes.
A PIL was filed by one Arun Kumar Dubey where he alleged the probe agencies shielded Singhal in the investigation of the MNREGA scam. On this, the court directed the ACB and the Enforcement Directorate to file their reply on whether or not the role of the then Khunti DC was investigated. The ACB said that it was not “given any case for the investigation related to the MNREGA scam in Khunti” hence no question arises to investigate the role of the then Khunti Deputy Commissioner Pooja Singhal.
It said that the Cabinet (Vigilance) department handed it only two FIRs against Ram Binod Prasad Sinha and others namely Khunti P.S case No.- 99/10 and 100/10 dated 24 September 2010. And these were not related to the MNREGA scheme.
Who overturned order of then CM (Arjun Munda) and Dy CM (Sudesh Mahto)
Documents reveal that then CM Arjun Munda and deputy CM Sudesh Mahato had given the order Cabinet (vigilance) to probe all the cases related to the scam.
The then principal secretary of the Rural Development Department Radhe Shyam Poddar had written a letter to the principal secretary of the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reform on December 17, 2011. The Rural Development Department had sought an opinion from the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reform on the charges framed against Pooja Singhal by the department for violating rules in the execution of MNREGA and other schemes.
“The Honourable Deputy Chief Minister (Rural Development) and Chief Minister have ordered an inquiry by the Cabinet (Vigilance) against the then Deputy Commissioner and district programme coordinator of MNREGA in Khunti and other senior officials. This matter is related to serious financial anomalies in the execution of MNREGA and other schemes in Khunti district where huge amounts were sanctioned to a single Junior Engineer (Ram Binod Prasad Sinha) and amounts remained unadjusted. The Principal Secretary (Vigilance) has already been provided with the necessary documents along with the request.
