Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday registered another case against the former chief engineer of Punjab Mandi Board and GMADA, Surinderpal Singh, for submitting fake birth certificate to the Government.
Notably, Vigilance had already registered a case against Surinderpal for abusing his official position and amassing huge wealth with ill-gotten money by illegally favouring some construction companies besides transacting in the accounts of his family and their bogus firms to adjust this ill-gotten money.
“Accused Surinderpal Singh was recruited as Junior Engineer in Punjab Mandi Board on January 28, 1993. During investigation, it has been found that in the service book, his date of birth had been recorded as December 11, 1971, whereas, his actual date of birth is December 11, 1967,” said an official spokesman of Vigilance Bureau.
Spokesman informed that as per the duplicate certificates submitted to the department, Surinderpal Singh had passed matriculation in March 1984 whereas the Gazette of Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), SAS Nagar, along with the result of matriculation examination 1984, his date of birth was mentioned as December 11, 1967.
The accused chief engineer had passed VIII standard exam from the Government Middle School, Mullianwali, in Fazilka district on March 31, 1981, and his Class VIII certificate was issued on June 10, 1981.
“On the basis of Class VIII certificate, accused Surinderpal Singh took admission in Class IX in Government Senior Secondary School, Pummiwala Fatta in Sri Muktsar Sahib district and also passed Class X from the school…In the records of these schools, his date of birth is mentioned as December 11, 1967, which clearly shows that he had forged his birth certificate,” said the spokesperson.
Giving more details, the spokesman informed that the accused had passed senior secondary examination in 1985-86 and did three years diploma in Civil Engineering during 1986-89. “As per the records available in the technical institutions, his date of birth was mentioned as December 11, 1967,” he added.
He said the investigation revealed that Surinderpal Singh, in connivance with officers or officials of the PSEB and Punjab Mandi Board, got his date of birth altered as December 11, 1971, instead of his actual date of birth of December 11, 1967.
On the basis of investigations, the Vigilance Bureau has registered a case against Surinderpal Singh and officers or officials of PSEB and Punjab Mandi Board under sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 13(1) (d) r/w 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act at VB Police Station Flying Squad-I, SAS Nagar and further investigation was under progress.