Video conferencing starts with CIC marking probe in land ‘fraud’ case

The conferencing started with cases from the border districts of Amritsar and Gurdaspur,where Deputy Commissioner’s offices that have the facility set up by the NIC were linked with the commission. Though some PIOs and complainants looked conscious of the camera and the Governor sitting next to CIC RI Singh,hearings went on smoothly without any glitches.

First to be taken up was a case from Amritsar,which was moderated by DC KS Pannu. Complainant Ram Murti said he had sought information on November 30 last year from Powercom about a connection that was given on the basis of a false affidavit. He told the CIC that he received information on February 28 this year.

When the PIO was asked to explain the delay,he looked nervously in the camera and said,“I can only feel sorry about it.” The remark left those present in the courtroom amused. The CIC saved PIO’s blushes by giving him a slap on the wrist. “Don’t repeat the mistake again. Next time be ready with information,” he told him.

The commission then switched to the Gurdaspur DC office,where the alleged land fraud case was listed. Complainant Darshan Singh said he had sought information from the Gurdaspur SDM about an agreement for partition of land that was signed on March 9,1999,but he was not given information. However,the PIO said he had asked the complainant to visit the office and take the record,but he claimed that the documents shown to him were fake. The CIC asked Darshan Singh if he had anything to prove forgery,he said he was an eyewitness to the signing of the agreement.

On this,the respondent said what they had was a land partition agreement dating September 7,1998,signed by one Mohinder Singh. But Darshan Singh claimed that as Mohinder Singh died in 1997,the paper dating to 1998 had to be false.

RI Singh asked the complainant to give the original specimen of Mohinder’s signature in a week and asked the respondent to fax the papers in their possession to the commission. He also marked a probe to the Gurdaspur DC and asked him to submit the report in a month.

As the proceedings were in Punjabi,the CIC later translated these for the Governor,who was surprised that the revenue records had signatures of a man who died a year before the deed was inked. He was curious to know what would be done next. The CIC then told him that he has asked for a probe,and taking action against the guilty was beyond their jurisdiction.

Meanwhile,NIC Punjab senior technical director Navneet Kukreja told The Indian Express that except Barnala and Tarn Taran,all the districts had been linked with the commission. The former would be linked in a couple of months,while the latter would take time as the DC office did not have space.