Guwahati, June 8: In a major goof-up, the CID has filed a chargesheet in the agriculture department scam in the wrong court.
The chargesheet was filed in the court of Kamrup (metro) chief judicial magistrate instead of the special court designated to try corruption cases registered by Assam police under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
An official source today said the faux pas came to light on Tuesday when the CJM court sent the chargesheet to the special court.
The chargesheet was filed by the CID against an assistant engineer (agriculture) Nilanjan Das in the CJM court a few months back and was lying there since then. It was submitted along with the state government's letter granting sanction to prosecute the accused officer.
"It came to the notice of the CJM court only recently and was subsequently forwarded to the special court," the source said.
"This goof-up by the CID is a reflection of the casual attitude of a section of its officers. What is worrying is that the chargesheet and the prosecution sanction was lying at the CJM court for around four months and went undetected by the CID at a time when corruption in the agriculture department has created a hue and cry," the source said.
The chargesheet mentions that Das and a few others entered into a conspiracy and allegedly cleared payment of Rs 1,07,77,822 to a contractor against a fake bill for construction of a 1,000 metric tonnes capacity warehouse by the agriculture department at Silchar in Cachar district.
Investigation revealed that the amount was released within 18 days of commencement of the construction but there was hardly any progress in work.
Das was booked under Sections 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Section 13 (1) (C) (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CID, however, has not arrested Das since he is cooperating with the investigation and is unlikely to abscond.
It had registered the case in 2014 based on a complaint lodged by Assam Public Works, an NGO, alleging corruption in the agriculture department in implementation of two centrally sponsored schemes - Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY) and BGREI (Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India) - between 2010-11 and 2013-14 during the Tarun Gogoi government. Several officials and contractors of the agriculture department have been arrested by the CID in connection with the case.
In another development, Gauhati High Court today granted bail to four persons accused in a multi-crore-rupee scam in the social welfare department.
A single-judge bench of Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan granted bail to Goalpara and Kamrup social welfare officers Himi Bora and Kishori Dutta, upper division assistant Debasish Dey and lower division assistant Sajid Hussain.
The four were arrested by the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau on February 27.
A source said the high court yesterday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of former director of social welfare Dilip Borthakur in the case. Borthakur, who has been chargesheeted, is absconding.
