Chhattisgarh govt defending 2 officers in PDS rip-off, says BJP

The state BJP’s accusation in opposition to the Baghel authorities comes on the again of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) submission earlier than Supreme Court docket that the state authorities has weakened the case in opposition to the 2 officers accused within the NAN (Nagrik Apurti Nigam) rip-off.

Addressing the media, Singh accused the Congress authorities of hypocrisy, because the social gathering had sought an ED investigation within the case whereas in Opposition.

Singh stated, “Bhupesh Baghel and T S Singh Deo had written to the PM then in opposition to corruption by these officers. That they had requested for ED and CBI inquiry. Why is the ED then accusing them? The Congress authorities has been attempting to save lots of these officers they usually should reply why.”

Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, nevertheless, stated, “The BJP was a part of the rip-off for 15 years, and took its share of the Rs 36,000-crore rip-off. Earlier than levelling any allegations, they need to disclose particulars hindering the investigation. Will Raman Singh inform us why his personal social gathering members have utilized to remain the investigations?”

In 2015, the then BJP authorities confronted allegations that kickbacks had been paid by rice millers and brokers to permit distribution of substandard rice by way of PDS. The federal government had then began a probe by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB0 and Financial Offences Wing (EOW). The ACB raided NAN workplaces, claimed to have recovered money and paperwork, and ultimately charged a number of officers, together with senior IAS officers Alok Shukla and Anil Tuteja.

The recoveries allegedly included a “diary” with particulars of kickbacks paid, and references to varied people, together with, the Congress alleged, aides of then CM Raman Singh.

The ACB stated that these references had been to not the household or aides of Raman Singh however to officers. The Congress has maintained that the ACB probe was a sham and guarded political beneficiaries of what the social gathering alleged was a Rs-36,000-crore rip-off.

In its marketing campaign earlier than the Meeting elections, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Bhupesh Baghel had raised the difficulty of the rip-off. Inside days of taking oath as CM, Baghel had introduced formation of an SIT. The Congress stated the SIT would take a look at political beneficiaries.

The SIT registered a case in opposition to former Further DG of ACB and EOW, Mukesh Gupta, and SP of ACB and EOW, Rajnesh Singh. Each officers, now suspended, have been accused of legal conspiracy, forgery, and unlawful phone-tapping. In response to SIT officers, Gupta and Singh allegedly fiddled with authorities information to legitimise phone-tapping, a cost Gupta has denied.

Each Tuteja and Shukla, senior bureaucrats within the Baghel authorities, bought anticipatory bail from Chhattisgarh Excessive Court docket in August 2020. The officers had moved the court docket after ED issued summons to them. Of their petition, they alleged that ED officers had been working in a “mala fide (and) whimsical method” and are “motivated by political vendetta”.

Whereas Tuteja is joint secretary, Industries, Shukla, a retired IAS officer, has been appointed principal secretary by the state authorities on contract. He heads a number of departments, together with Well being and Schooling.

In its submission earlier than the Supreme Court docket, in search of custody of Tuteja and Shukla, the ED has alleged that the 2 officers have affected the case, allegedly in connivance with successive chiefs of prosecuting companies, a really senior legislation officer in Chhattisgarh HC and members of the SIT, together with CM Baghel’s intervention. In a sealed envelope, the company submitted transcripts of purported messages on cell phones seized by the Earnings Tax Division.

“The transcript of such messages clearly reveal the character of misuse of energy in Chhattisgarh, tampering of proof and influencing witnesses happening and a possible conspiracy involving some constitutional functionaries,” the ED stated in its affidavit.

Avi Singh, lawyer for each accused officers, stated: “The Enforcement Directorate is conducting a follow of selective leaks in a case through which it has no relation. The Earnings Tax (division) performed a mala fide raid on my consumer’s home the place they, together with their households, had been detained illegally…had been subjected to coercive investigation. Nothing was discovered. No cash (was) seized. No benami properties (had been discovered). No legal prosecution has resulted from that raid even after greater than 2 years.”

He acknowledged, “My shoppers have been granted anticipatory bail in a wholly fabricated ED case nearly 2 years in the past. They’ve joined the investigation even on the peak of Covid-19, as have their members of the family. No properties have been connected and the case as soon as once more has no leg to face on. It’s unlucky that when the company gained’t even share the premise of their investigation or the prima facie justification for it with my shoppers, they’re blissful to share it with sure journalists.”

Singh acknowledged, “The case in opposition to them is pending listening to within the HC of Chhattisgarh in addition to the trial court docket, and we stay up for display that the case is constructed on conjectures, fabrications and political mala fide.”