M A I N   N E W S

Transfer racket in CM’s office
Gurmeet Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 14
A flourishing racket in issuing fake transfer orders from the Haryana Chief Minister’s office has been unearthed following suspicion arising on movement of certain files relating to transfer of Class I to Class IV employees in Haryana.

These transfer orders purportedly bear the “fake signatures” of Mr D. S. Dhesi, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and were issued on behalf of Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Haryana Chief Minister, sources in the Haryana Government said tonight. Senior functionaries believe that the scandal may have more to it and money having changed hands is not being ruled out. The role of some employees of the Chief Minister’s staff is also being ascertained.

All fake transfer files had original noting sheets which carry the government’s standard language like: “The Chief Minister has desired the transfer of one official from one place to another”.

Such notes are normally signed by the Additional Principal Secretary, Mr Dhesi, on behalf of the Chief Minister. People issuing these fake orders had mastered the signatures of Mr Dhesi, who has been working in the CMO for the past five years.

The CMO has ordered a probe into the affair by its Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A formal complaint was lodged by Mr Dhesi with the Chandigarh SSP, Mr Parag Jain, on February 28. The SSP referred the matter to the Sector 3 police station for further investigations. Another complaint has been lodged with the Panchkula police. The CMO has now asked all departments to cross-check and verify all transfer orders before implementation.

When contacted, Mr Dhesi while confirming the incident said: “All transfers under such fake orders have been cancelled. The government is awaiting reports from the state CID, the Panchkula police and the Chandigarh police.” Strict action would follow, he assured

In his complaint to the police Mr Dhesi has cited eight examples of fake transfer orders issued between December, 1999, and December, 2000. Sources said Mr Dhesi might have caught hold of eight examples but the number of fake orders was likely to be more as the period under scrutiny offered scope for more such fake orders.

In these eight examples, fake orders have been issued for a peon, an inspector, a lecturer, a forest guard, two patwaris, a driver and also of a secretary of a market committee. Surprisingly, all these orders had been implemented.

So far the government had maintained full secrecy in the matter. The Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr S. Y. Qureshi, when contacted this morning expressed ignorance.

How CM’s office got to know

The game of those issuing fake orders was exposed when a senior officer requested the Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr D.S. Dhesi, for the transfer of one of his acquaintances employed with the government. Mr Dhesi declined saying he had to consult the Chief Minister. The officer in turn told the employee the same thing and turned him away. Within a few days the employee managed a transfer and he went to the officer to show the orders. The officer in turn contacted Mr Dhesi, who was shocked. He enquired at a personal level and found a major racket in which his own signatures were being forged by someone.