news details |
|
|
| VOJ Filed Closure Report in SRTC Store Scam | | Court directed for reinvestigation of the case | | Jammu, September, 01:- Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu Mr. JR Kotwal disagreed with the closure report filed by Vigilance Organization Jammu in FIR 32/1986 in a SRTC regional store scam and ordered SSP VOJ for re-investigation of the case.
According to the closure report that in the year 1984 during the checking of regional store at Jammu through M/S Verma Associates, Chartered Accountants Polo-View Srinagar, in its report reflected irregularities, illegalities and mal practices in the store. The then Chairman and Managing Director of the SRTC Mr. U Gosh IAS reported the matter to VOJ and sought registration of case and investigation in the case as per the report the officers/officials of Jammu stores of SRTC by misuse of their official position have committed corruption. The VOJ registered case u/s 5(2) PC Act 2006 and started investigation.
The investigating officer in this case has closed the investigation with the approval of the office of Commissioner of Vigilance, mainly for the reason that “the statement of complainant U Gosh who has now been transferred to Calcutta and the Charted Accountant, who conducted the physical inspection and gave audit report have shifted to unknown place from Srinagar have not been recorded.” Some other reasons have also been assigned to closure but main reason because the complainant and auditor could have been main evidence in the matter.
While disagreeing with closure report Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu Mr. JR Kotwal observed that the record submitted along with the Final report does not contain any material to support the quoted reasons assigned to closure of the investigation. Court, therefore, vide its order May 31, 2006 asked the CPO to produce the material for perusal of the Court. After perusal of the record including CD file produced by the CPO had not been pleasing investigation in the said case it appears, has been closed as for back as in the year 1996 and Central Office of Vigilance Organization, had approved the filing of final report in August 1996 vide letter dated August 30, 1996. Perusal of record further shows at no stage either prior to 1996 or even after any attempt was made to record the statement of complainant Mr. U Gosh, who as it is well known, was no less than a Top ranking Bureaucrat of State of IAS Cadre. There is no material on record to show as to when he left the J&K for Calcutta, rendering it impossible for the Investigating Officer to record his statement. Not only that the record on the CD file contains statement of CA Mr. Madan Verma, which, it appears, has been recorded somewhere in the year 1988. Mr. Madan Verma in his statement had deposed about the verification of store having been conducted by him and his associates and irregularities/illegalities have been detected. In face of the said statement it is to be pointed out with anguish that it has been wrongly reported in the Final report that the statement of Charted Accountant could not be recorded due to his having left for some unknown place.
Court in view of the matter took serious note and observed that the investigating agency has failed to discharged its duties faithfully and has rather avoided to investigate the case in its right perspective and opted to pass the buck by submitted his Final report decades after the FIR. Such final report cannot be accepted and is therefore rejected; Court ordered re-investigation of the case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
