In fast-paced developments, after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s order to re-investigate the 2002 CNG fitness scam in the wake of new documents and evidence in the matter, lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday said that on the basis of the facts placed before him, he had observed that there may have been omissions in checking the collection of fee for the conduct of tests by ESP India.
The lieutenant Governor said he had directed the Government that on these lapses it should institute an appropriate inquiry to quantify the excess amount charged by the operator and affix responsibility for administrative and other lapses, if any. On Monday, Sisodia had ordered the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to reinvestigate the case in view of new documents, facts and evidence. In his order, the Deputy CM said that it is seen from the records that ACB has received three additional documents resulting in widening of the scope of further investigation into the fitness scam.
In a statement, Raj Niwas said that the l-G had noted that the Government should initiate disciplinary action against all those found to be responsible and that no leniency should be shown in the matter. The inquiry was to be set up immediately to be monitored at a senior level within the Government.
The statement said that an Inquiry Committee was set up under Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to probe into the complaints regarding ESP India Pvt ltd regarding the omission on the part of officers. Raj Niwas said that Justice Mudgal had concluded that “the committee notes with satisfaction that in spite of this lack of application of mind, there appears to be no malafide on the part of any functionary of the Government in processing the proposal.”