HC to Haryana top officer: Give status of report alleging graft in Faridabad

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the chief secretary of Haryana to file an affidavit providing the status of the decision, if any, taken on a report pertaining to irregularities in the allotment of tenders for widening roads and laying drains in Faridabad.
The reported had been forwarded to the chief secretary by the director general, state vigilance bureau, along with a memo dated January 11, 2022.
Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj passed these orders while hearing a petition filed by Neeraj Sharma, Congress MLA from NIT Faridabad. In his petition, the legislator sought directions for the state government to conclude the investigation carried by the state vigilance bureau (now ACB), dated April 26, 2019, regarding illegalities and corrupt practices in allotment and execution of tenders for widening of road and construction of drains in various places in Faridabad.
He contended that in the reply by vigilance bureau, it was admitted that irregularities were noticed and that the state vigilance bureau had already recommended registration of FIR against 10 persons. It was further stated in the above said reply that the report dated December 21, 2021, had been forwarded to the chief secretary (vigilance) by the director general, state vigilance bureau, vide letter bearing Memo No. 414/SVB(H) dated January 11, 2022, for seeking necessary approvals. However, according to the petitioner, the chief secretary failed to take any decision on the report even though a period of more than 15 months had lapsed since the submission of the report.
During the hearing of the petition on Tuesday, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that the chief secretary may be impleaded as a party respondent.
On this, the oral request of the petitioner was accepted and the state of Haryana was also ordered to be impleaded through chief secretary, Haryana, as respondent in this case. “Let a response/affidavit be filed by the respondent, i.e. the chief secretary, Haryana, for giving status of the decision, if any, taken on the report forwarded to him by the director general of state vigilance bureau,” said the order released by the HC on Wednesday.
The matter has now been adjourned to July 11.