Teachers recruitment scam: HC rap for CBI

'CBI officers apparently lacked in discharge of duties'

In yet another indictment and embarrassment for the CBI, Chandigarh, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that "for reasons best known" to CBI officers, they "apparently lacked in discharge of their duties".

The "apparent reason" for not investigating the infamous UT teachers' recruitment scam "therefore can be allegations of involvement of senior officers", the High Court has ruled.

Further, the High Court has held that the recruitment scam "certainly required serious consideration". For the lack of discharge of their duties, Justice Rajesh Bindal has also held Chandigarh Police equally responsible. On the last date of hearing, Justice Bindal had said that the reasons assigned by the "highest authorities" to not register an FIR in the scam were "not very good".

The order has been passed on a petition filed by the CBI opposing the order dated April 2 of the Central Information Commission (CIC) which had directed the agency to furnish documents demanded by social activist Hemant Goswami, the complainant in the case.

Under the Right to Information Act, Goswami had demanded information relating to the investigation done by the CBI and evidence collected by it in its initial probe wherein it had given a "clean chit". The CIC had allowed the petition filed by Goswami asking the CBI to furnish the same. Aggrieved, the CBI had moved the High Court.

Disposing of the petition filed by the CBI, Justice Bindal has reproduced a scathing order passed by a division bench in March, under which investigation of the recruitment scam was handed over to the Delhi CBI team. The scam allegedly involved the then UT Director, Public Instructions (DPI), Samwartak Singh.

Making it clear that the court cannot "shut its eyes" to an "unabashed attempt to scuttle justice", the High Court on March 31 had handed over the investigation of the scam to the CBI, Delhi branch. In an indictment and embarrassment for the Chandigarh branch of the CBI, a division bench of the High Court had ruled that "sufficient amount of suspicion has been aroused in the mind of the court indicating a complete cover-up by the CBI Chandigarh branch".

... contd.

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