Fauji case: Lokayukta says no review

Indian Military Veterans

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 11
Haryana Lokayukta Justice Pritam Pal today dismissed state government's application seeking review of its January 21 order recommending registration of a case against Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Ram Kishan Fauji in the alleged cash-for-CLU licence scandal.

The Lokayukta also dismissed Fauji's two applications and stuck to its order recommending registration of a criminal case against Fauji. A video purportedly showed him demanding Rs 5-crore bribe from a person for change of land use (CLU) for a plot along the NH-8 in Gurgaon.

NS Sekhawat, counsel for the opposition INLD, which had released the CD exposing the alleged scam, had demanded rejection of the state government's application contending that there was no provision for a review of the Lokayukta's order under the state Lokayukta Act, 2002.

In its January 21 order, the Lokayukta said: "A criminal case for commission of offence punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, be immediately registered against Fauji." It had urged the state government to depute a senior police official of "impeccable integrity" to investigate the allegations of corruption in the case and submit the action-taken report at the earliest.

On January 30, the Haryana Government asked the Lokayukta to re-examine its recommendations claiming that there had been a variation in the findings and observations made by the Lokayukta in its report.

Timeline Sept 6, 2013: The INLD releases video footage showing Fauji demanding Rs 5 crore for a CLU Sept 9: Hooda refers the matter to the Lokayukta Jan 21, 2014: Lokayukta orders an FIR against Fauji Jan 30: The Hooda govt refers the matter back to Lokayukta Feb 11: Lokayukta dismisses pleas of Hooda govt and Fauji