No respite seemed in sight for former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, as the high power Scrutiny Committee probing the row over his caste is taking the report of vigilance cell back from the High Court after promising that the same should be submitted after incorporating some vital points which had been left earlier.
The scrutiny committee has submitted an affidavit to HC in this regard. Earlier, the Court had asked the panel to probe the status of Jogi’s caste and submit its report within three months. Notably, for verification of fake caste certificate the state government had set up a scrutiny committee after it was told by the Supreme Court.
The committee is also empowered by the High Court as only after the order of the Court it started the proceedings of verification of Jogi’s caste. It is worth mentioning here that the scrutiny committee had requisitioned the report of Vigilance Cell in this connection and after getting the Vigilance Cell report on the issue it had also issued notice to Jogi for putting up his views but the former Chief Minister filed a petition in the High Court pleading that once the vigilance cell enquired the matter, then what was the need to investigate it againIJ
Also, the former Chief Minister alleged that before issuing the notice his views were not heard even if it sought the views of the State Government on this issue. He termed the entire episode as a political issue. In its affidavit the scrutiny committee assured the court that after fresh Vigilance Cell probe, it would submit its report within the fixed time frame as the case has to be finalised latest by November this year.
Notably, sever controversy, for a decade now, is raging on the issue of former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s social status as certificates issued to him showed him as belonging to 'Kanwar' Scheduled Tribe. The State Government had filed the special leave petition in the apex court challenging the clean chit given to Jogi by the Chhattisgarh High Court on December 15, 2006. The State Government had submitted that the High Court had passed the order in favour of Jogi without properly examining the evidence on record and the findings of the National Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes which reportedly found prima facie evidence against the former Chief Minister.