Anti-graft panel rejects govt petition
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Lokayukta has rejected the petition of the state government to recall his order for the transfer of officials to facilitate a fair probe by the CBI.
The Lokayukta, however, modified the order and said that the officials, who are posted for more than a year, should be transferred.
Earlier, the anti-graft panel wanted the immediate transfer of officials whose names were mentioned by the petitioner Abhijit Basumatary.
The Lokayukta took up the petition of the government on Friday in the presence of lawyers of home department and state government.
The state home secretary and the advocate of the petitioner were also present.
The government had questioned the locus standi of the petitioner, Basumatary and his supporter Abdul Ahad Choudhury and hence urged the Lokayukta to stay the earlier order.
The government also wanted to know the whereabouts of Basumatary and pointed out several criminal cases against Choudhury.
Based on the petition of Basumatary, the Lokayukta had ordered the transfer special assistant to Home Minister James Sangma, the SP and DC of East Jaintia Hills, SPs of land customs stations in the state and secretary, mining and geology department among others within 10 days after receipt of the official order to facilitate uninterrupted inquiry by the CBI.
After the secretary of Lokayukta had sent the order on January 13, the government preferred to file an application challenging the order.
Besides the transfer of government officials, the Lokayukta had asked the CBI to complete a preliminary probe into the coal racket within 15 days from January 13.
