Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 21: Additional Sessions Judge Anticorruption Udhampur S R Gandhi today rejected the bail application of Rakesh Kumar Pargal of Udhampur, the then Chief Supervisor FCI Godown Udhampur, who was allegedly involved in Rs 260 crore scam.
According to the Vigilance case, a verification conducted into the allegations of misappropriation of Rs 260 crore on account of cost of wheat grains, transportation charges and labour charges drawn on the basis of fictitious and false bills, had revealed acts of omissions and commissions on the part of the officers/officials of CA&PD Department namely Muklis Ali, Abdul Rashid, Joginder Singh, Romesh Chander, the then Assistant Directors, Romesh Kumar, the then Supervisor, Trikuta Flour Mill Udhampur, Sushma Gupta, the then Supervisor Trikuta Flour Mill, Udhampur, Susheel Kumar, the then Supervisor FCI Godown Udhampur, Rakesh Pargal, the then Supervisor CA&PD posted at FCI Godown Udhampur, Deepak Abrol, the then Incharge, Depot Office SRTC Udhampur, Ramesh Kumar, then Clerk in Deport Office SRTC Udhampur, Sumit Mahajan, Prop. M/S Trikuta Flour Mill Udhampur, Amit Mahajan, Prop. M/S Trikuta Flour Mill Udhampur, Paramdeep Singh, Prop. M/S Vikas Transport Company and others.
This constituted, prima facie, the commission of offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and several sections of RPC. Consequently, case FIR No. 01/2020 was registered on 19-02-2020 at Police Station ACB Doda for investigation.
During the course of investigation searches were conducted at the houses of the accused persons and several incriminating documents/items were recovered/seized. During examination of the officials, it surfaced that Rakesh Pargal was one of the masterminds who was running the whole nexus in order to misappropriate the Government money by sheer abuse of his official position.
“The investigating agency requires more time to unearth the conspiracy and to retrieve the missing record as well”, the court said, adding “having regard to the stage of the investigation, it is not possible to express opinion on the merits of the case”.
The court further said, “in dealing with such cases the consequences of granting bail to an accused involved is always considered with its ultimate impact on the society. The economic offences brings imbalance in the economy of the country thereby affecting the poor public and the State”.
“In the considered view of the court accused-applicant do not deserve to get bail when the investigation is still in progress. There is every possibility of the applicant-accused tampering with the evidence and hampering-the investigation if he is released on bail”, the Judge said.