Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes on Thursday issued directions to the Punjab Government to launch criminal proceedings under relevant acts against persons wrongly availing benefits of SCs, depriving eligible and needy beneficiaries of their rightful share.
The Commission has, in fact, asked the Welfare Department to launch state-wide drive to check such cases.
The directions were issued by the Commission chairman Rajesh Bagha, in a communiqué to the state Welfare Department, in a case relating to a Christian resident Jagdip Singh of Pathankot district, who got Indane gas agency in SC quota allotted on a SC certificate issued by concealing his identity and caste.
Bagha observed that this case gives an impression that a large scale racket was running in the state in which Muslims and Christians, “by concealing their names and castes”, were getting SC certificates issued in which connivance of districts officers of welfare department cannot be ruled out.
The Commission also pointed out that earlier, a case of Muslim in Sangrur district, who contested Vidhan Sabha in 2012 election on SC quota seat, came to the notice of Commission and now this case of Christian has come to its notice.
It also pointed out that the State cannot allow any other caste to encroach in the benefits meant for SC community that has been granted by the Constitution and the State Government must take step to go deep into the racket and proceed against those people who were taking the benefits of SCs by concealing their castes.
The Commission, on a complaint against Jagdip Singh, sought report from the Welfare Department and its vigilance cell.