Gurgaon, April 26
The district court here has summoned the president and six other office-bearers of Indian Airlines Pilots Cooperative Housing Building Society Limited for allegedly committing cheating and fraud with one of the members of the society for vested interests.
The Judicial Magistrate, 1st Class, Mr V. P. Sirohi, ordered the society president, Capt D. S.
Giare, the vice-president, Capt R. N. Singh, the secretary, Capt A. S.
Malli, the treasurer, Capt V. K. Mehta, three members of the managing committee, Capt B. K.
Kukreja, Capt A. K. Kaul and Capt J. N. Bhardwaj to face trial under Sections 420 and 468 of the IPC.
In the judgement, the court observed that the signatures of Capt R. N. Jalan and Capt S. P. Khandelwal were forged by the above mentioned members of the society in order to cancel the membership of Surjit Singh
Panesar, the complainant in the case.
During the course of argument, Harish Chand, a clerk from Indian Airlines, produced the relevant records before the court and confirmed the fact that the above mentioned two pilots (Captain Jalan and Captain
Khandelwal) were out of India on October 25, 1998, the day when they were shown taking participation in the meeting in India by the society. In this meeting, the membership of Mr Panesar was cancelled.
Passing strictures on the working of the police, the court mentioned in its order that the report of the police under Section 202, CrPC, had only recorded the statement of Capt D. S. Giare and the remaining witnesses had not been examined by the police. “Therefore, at this stage, the report submitted by the police does not seem to be correct”, said the order.
Advocate Harish Malhotra proved in the court the seven accused persons in connivance with each other cheated Mr Panesar by conducting illegal general body meeting to cancel his membership and forged the attendance register of the general body meeting by showing the wrong present strength of the members of the society in the meeting.
Mr Surjit Singh Panesar said the society expelled his membership to execute a scam of crore of rupees. He alleged the office-bearers had been indulging in illegal activities by transferring membership to their kith and kin and other persons for illegal consideration.
Mr Panesar further alleged that the society after having an illegal agreement gave 97 per cent of land to a builder and only 1.5 acre of land to the society members on which 245 flats in multi-storeyed blocks were being constructed for the members.
One another member, Mr Bharat Bhushan of the society, who was also expelled from the society approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court to investigate the scam. The court referred the matter to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Gurgaon, for high-level investigation.
Mr Gufferan E
Azam, then MP, also wrote a letter in 1998 to the Haryana Chief Minister, requesting him to appoint an administrator to take immediate charge of funds of the society and order a thorough investigation to do justice to the members of the society. On the basis on the complaint, the Additional Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Haryana, investigated the matter and found a number of illegalities in the society’s working. Capt D. S. Giare could not be contacted today as he has gone out of the country. The vice-president of the society, Capt R. N. Singh, said the general body had expelled Mr Panesar for working against the interests of the society. There was nothing personal against Mr
Panesar, said Mr Singh.
