Chandigarh: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has given a clean chit to three retired IAS officers, including former Punjab Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, in connection with the multi-crore irrigation scam after its detailed inquiry failed to find concrete evidence linking them to the alleged irregularities.
Former Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu and former Irrigation Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu have also been cleared in the inquiry.
The development has emerged from a status report filed by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 10, following directions issued by the court earlier this year.
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allotment of state irrigation projects worth around ₹1,000-1,200 croreduring the SAD-BJP government between 2007 and 2017.
High Court Had Directed Completion of Inquiry
The latest development follows the High Court’s May 15 order, in which it directed the Punjab government to complete the inquiry within 15 days.
The court had taken note of the fact that the inquiry, initiated after approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, had remained pending for more than three years.
The Vigilance Bureau subsequently completed its scrutiny and submitted its findings to the government, which were placed before the High Court through the status report.
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Inquiry Found No Evidence Supporting Allegations
According to the VB report, the scrutiny of the available material did not produce evidence sufficient to substantiate the allegations against Kaushal, Sidhu and Pannu.
The inquiry was registered as Vigilance Inquiry No. 08 dated September 29, 2022, and was conducted by the bureau’s flying squad.
Permission to investigate the three officers had been granted in 2022 by then Punjab Chief Secretary B K Janjua.
The inquiry primarily originated from a disclosure statement allegedly made by accused contractor Gurinder Singh on December 21, 2017, during the investigation of an FIR registered on August 17, 2017.
The FIR involved offences under Sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 471, 477-A and 120-B of the IPC, besides provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
No Recovery Made From Alleged Bribery Amounts
A key finding of the Vigilance Bureau was that none of the amounts allegedly referred to in Gurinder Singh’s disclosure statement was recovered.
The bureau also noted that the disclosure statement itself was not part of the challan filed in the original FIR.
The inquiry report concluded that, in the absence of any recovery, the disclosure statement did not provide a sufficient evidentiary basis to proceed against the three retired bureaucrats.
The VB further examined the police file, challans and witness statements but found that the allegations could not be linked to any specific time, place, date, month or year.
No Witness Supported Bribery Allegations
The inquiry also found that no witness supported the allegations of bribery against the three retired IAS officers.
The bureau could not establish any identifiable source of funds corresponding to the large sums allegedly involved.
This was among the significant factors considered by the Vigilance Bureau while arriving at its findings.
The original FIR had resulted in 16 challans – nine main and seven supplementary – against 32 accused persons, comprising 26 government employees and six private individuals.
VB Examined 588 Pages of Investigation Material
Before finalising its findings, the Vigilance Bureau examined 588 pages of investigation material collected during the case.
The inquiry covered not only the allegations against the three officers but also the functioning of the Irrigation Department and the roles of senior officials and the political executive.
The suspects examined during the broader inquiry included the department’s secretary/chief secretary, the minister in charge and personal assistants of two ministers.
However, the examination of official records and departmental procedures did not establish a link between Kaushal, Sidhu or Pannu and the alleged wrongdoing.
Tender Process Also Examined
The bureau examined the established tender and payment procedures followed by the Irrigation Department.
The scrutiny covered the process beginning with administrative and technical approval of estimates and preparation of the detailed notice inviting tender or bid document by the Executive Engineer.
It also examined approval by the Chief Engineer, verification of measurement books and bills, pre-audit procedures and the eventual release of payments to contractors.
The Vigilance Bureau found that the examination of these procedures and related official records did not produce material connecting the three retired IAS officers with the alleged irregularities.
Scam Allegedly Involved Tailor-Made Tenders
The broader irrigation scam concerns allegations of fraudulent allotment of government water and irrigation projects during the SAD-BJP regime.
The allegations included claims that tenders were allegedly designed to favour a particular contractor, Gurinder Singh, allegedly in connivance with senior departmental officials and political functionaries.
The suspected irregularities were alleged to have caused substantial losses to the state exchequer.
However, the latest Vigilance Bureau inquiry specifically concerning the three retired IAS officers did not find sufficient evidence to establish their involvement.
Report Sent to Punjab Government for Final Decision
The inquiry report was prepared by the Joint Director (Crime), Punjab Vigilance Bureau, and subsequently forwarded to the Chief Director of the bureau.
The Chief Director forwarded the report to the Secretary, Vigilance, Punjab Government, on May 27 for a final decision.
The status report was subsequently filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Jai Inder Singh Randhawa, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Bureau, on behalf of the Chief Director, VB.
Thus, while the Vigilance Bureau has found no concrete evidence against the three retired IAS officers in the inquiry, the report has been forwarded to the competent government authority for the final decision.
