CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday ordered CBI probe into the disbursement of social security pension to dead persons in Haryana.
Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj of the HC has passed these orders after examining the affidavits filed by the director general of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the department of Social Welfare Haryana. The order was announced in open court, but the formal order was not declared till the filing of the current report.
In its detailed reply, Shatrujeet Kapoor, DGP (ACB) accepted lacunas into the investigation of FIRs registered in the state in relation to the disbursement of pension to ineligible beneficiaries.
Kapoor pointed out that the beneficiaries who have used false/forged documents regarding age are liable for prosecution, but they have not been prosecuted. According to him, even the grounds cited for submitting untraced reports in some of the FIRs do not appear to be tenable as the beneficiaries despite having returned the amount are still liable for prosecution as per the scheme guidelines.
"The role of public servants in the grant of pension to ineligible beneficiaries also needs to be probed in more detail. Despite the involvement of a public servant and middleman and evidence proving exchange of bribe, the provisions of prevention of corruption act have not been invoked," Kapoor had submitted.
The department of social justice and empowerment also informed that an amount of Rs 4517223 has been recovered from ineligible beneficiaries and recovery of Rs 75757085 from 6722 wrong beneficiaries is pending. Further disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against seven district level officers including Alka Yadav, Amit Kumar, Ashwani Madan, M P Godara, Ravinder Singh, Satyawan Dhilod, D S Saini, all working as district social welfare officers (DSWOs) in different districts of the state and some of the ministerial staff. The proceedings have been initiated for granting pension to ineligible beneficiaries. The charge sheet has also been issued against all these officers on May 18.
The HC has passed these orders while hearing a petition filed by Rakesh Bains, a resident of Shahabad in Kurukshetra district, seeking investigation into alleged pension scam where various kinds of social security pensions in Haryana were disbursed to the ghost and ineligible beneficiaries.
