Chandigarh, April 24
The Punjab government today put its elite cadre in the dock. In the first series of lists submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court today reveals court cases, vigilance enquiries and departmental proceedings are pending against 18 IAS officers. Another eight have criminal cases pending against them.
As many as 10 IPS officers, including three directors-general of police and an additional DGP, are facing court and criminal cases, besides disciplinary action and investigation.
The lists were placed on record by Punjab’s additional advocate-general Rita Kohli in compliance with the orders passed by Justice H.S. Bhalla on the previous date of hearing in the Bhadaur Gurdwara controversy case.
Another series of lists of IAS and IPS officers, facing departmental proceedings, charge-sheeted by the court, or with pending cases, is expected to be furnished on May 1. The list of IAS officers “against whom court cases, vigilance, departmental and other cases are pending” says the officers responsible for the misuse of Red Cross funds are yet to be identified.
The other officers named in the list are: Sarvesh Kaushal, Jagjit Puri, Mandeep Singh, B. Sarkar, G.S. Pirzada, C.S. Srivastava, H.I.S. Grewal, Khushi Ram, J.S. Maini, Dr Swarn Singh, R.N. Gupta, D.S. Jaspal, Dharam Vir, Harjit Singh, Kirpa Shanker Saroj, Shruti Singh and D.S. Grewal.
Another list of IAS officers with criminal cases says: K.B.S. Sidhu, S.C. Agrawal and G.S. Grewal are facing proceedings in CBI case on establishment and development of forest hill resort at Karoran village in SAS Nagar.
IAS officer K. Siva Prasad is also facing a CBI case registered against him. R. Venkatratnam has a case of cheating and forgery pending against him under Section 420, 409, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC, read with Prevention of Corruption Act. S.S. Dhillon also has a Prevention of Corruption Act case against him. Tejinder Kaur’s name also appears in the list.
In the list of IPS officers facing court and criminal cases, along with disciplinary actions and investigations are: S.S. Virk, S.S. Saini, K.K. Attri, Mohd. Izhar Alam, G.D. Pandey, R.P. Singh, S.S. Sodhi, Paramraj Singh, Rajinder Singh and Devinder Singh Garcha.
A communiqué by additional secretary, personnel, Punjab, attached along with the lists, adds there is no “specific policy or instructions prohibiting the postings of those officers on public dealing posts against whom criminal cases may be pending in the courts”.
Punjab’s advocate-general Hardev Singh Mattewal said the government was committed to the rule of law, and was acting in a fair and just manner.
