Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 17: High Court has directed the State Vigilance Organization (SVO) to produce the record and submit the latest status of enquiries into the complaints against former Speaker of Legislative Assembly and two Principals of the Government Degree Colleges.
The complaint against former Speaker pertains to the alleged favoritism in the recruitment for various posts in Assembly Secretariat while as two College Principals have been accused of violating the codal formalities while affecting purchases.
In a complaint, which was submitted to State Vigilance Organization on March 4, 2014, it has been alleged that the then Speaker and the then Secretary Legislative Assembly had indulged into favoritism in the recruitment for various posts in the Assembly Secretariat.
“The complaint has been referred to Assembly Secretariat for looking into the matter and sharing of information with the Vigilance Organization so that further action is taken”, said the status report filed by the Director Vigilance, Sheikh Owais Ahmad before the High Court.
About the complaint against Dr Nutan Kumar Resutra, the then Principal Government Degree College, Rajouri (presently Principal GGM Science College), the status report said, “the complainant has alleged misappropriation/ embezzlement, violation of codal formalities and diversion of funds by the then Principal Government Degree College”, adding “for three items relating to installation of Wi-Fi network in the College campus exorbitant rates were paid and this caused loss of Rs 73,060 to the State exchequer”.
“In the purchase and installation of water purifiers, codal formalities were completed but it was found that the quotations quoted didn’t show comparison between some branded and specified items”, the status report said, adding “it has also been noticed that well founded survey was not conducted prior to the purchase of water purifiers”.
According to the status report of Director Vigilance, during verification, the I-MAC systems were also scrutinized and the IT experts reported that the operating system/applications/softwares were genuine but product key in respect of only one software was available and the same in respect of other four programmes was not found available. “In case the system fails or get corrupted the same cannot be corrected”, the report said, adding “the loss on account of missing keys amounts to Rs 2,30,000”.
On the basis of these findings, the Vigilance had referred the matter to the Government for initiating a regular departmental action against Nutan Kumar Resutra for payment of excessive rate in purchase and installation of Wi-Fi and further appropriate action against the persons responsible for loss of software keys.
About the complaint against Prof Hemla Aggarwal, the then Principal Government SPMR College of Commerce (presently Principal Government College for Women, Parade), the status report said, “during the course of verification conducted into the allegations, it was found that Prof Hemla had made the purchases during her tenure in Commerce College without following the procedures and without obtaining quotations/inviting tenders”.
“The verification has also revealed that no software/ original CD of Final Cut Plugging, Edius 4 Canopus and Adobe Master Collection CS3 Creative Suite were found either in the I-MAC system or CDs and the pirated Softwares/CDs in the I-MAC system were used”, the report said, adding “the verification into the matter is in progress to ascertain as to who was the custodian of the stocks at the time of receiving the supply and whether the original softwares/CDs have been actually purchased and received”.
After hearing Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad, counsel for the complainants and Senior Additional Advocate General, Gagan Basotra, Justice Janak Raj Kotwal directed Senior AAG to produce the record pertaining to complaint against Dr Nutan K Resutra for the perusal of the court on the next date of hearing.
The records were summoned when Advocate Ahmad insisted that in the instant case the SVO should have registered FIR as in its inquiry the SVO prima-facie established a loss of Rs 73,060 to the State exchequer. But the SVO for no valid reason recommended departmental action against the delinquent official.
About the complaints against the then Assembly Speaker and Prof Hemla Aggarwal, the High Court directed the SVO to produce the latest status of the ongoing enquiries by the next date of hearing.
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