In a major jolt to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the Government to issue challans against accused persons in the matter of illegal recruitments or appointments made from December 1993 to February 1998 in various departments within four weeks.
From 1993 to 1998 the Congress Government headed by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was in power and a large scale of illegal recruitment in various departments, boards, corporations and universities had taken place on the basis of chits and other unofficial memos.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Kuldip Singh, passed these orders, while hearing a petition of former Chairman, HP Subordinate Services Selection Board, SM Katwal, alleging that despite registering FIR No. 1/2006 at police station (Vigilance) Shimla, on the directions dated November 7, 2005 of the High Court, no investigation was initiated in the alleged illegal recruitments case and no progress was made in the case after the High Court stopped monitoring it, after having disposed of the writ petition 7/2005 of SM Katwal on October 22, 2008.
The compliance report in the case was filed before the court on Monday, which was directed to be made part of the file. As per the compliance report, the investigation into the case has been completed by the end of December 2013.
After conducting investigation in the matter with respect to 60 departments, boards, corporations and universities, charge-sheets have been prepared in case of six departments, departmental action has been recommended in case of six departments, departmental action cannot be recommended due to retirement /death of officials in cases of 12 departments and closure has been recommended in cases of 36 departments.
The court also directed the earlier two compliance reports kept in the sealed cover with the registrar general of High Court be also returned to
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‘Issue challans against accused within 4 wks’
JK Verma, deputy advocate general, to present challan /police report(s) in terms of Section 173 CrPC, before the court(s) of competent jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, in another case filed by SM Katwal, praying to get investigation into the case conducted by any other independent agency outside the State and to direct the State to appoint an independent and impartial investigating officer for the case, the Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Kuldip Singh directed the petitioner to justify maintainability of the writ petition and posted the matter for March 18.