SHILLONG, Nov 2: The state government has assured the High Court of Meghalaya that steps would be taken to freeze the assets of tainted police official GK Iangrai since the “extent of defalcation” has been pegged at over Rs 3 crore.
The assurance was in connection with a PIL heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Judge W Diengdoh on Wednesday.
The bench said it was unfortunate that the court has to resort to extreme steps before the state takes appropriate action in some cases.
According to the court, the report appended to the affidavit filed by the Home Secretary to the state indicates appropriate steps having been taken thus far, including the service of a charge sheet.
The advocate-general submitted that the delinquent (Iangrai) has sought some documents and has been afforded time to file his written statement in response to the charge sheet.
An inquiry officer has already been appointed and 43 witnesses have been indicated in the charge sheet and the connected papers.
“It is hoped that the inquiry is conducted as expeditiously as possible and without affording undue latitude to either the department or to the delinquent,” the bench said.
The state submitted that appropriate steps would be taken for freezing the assets of the delinquent since the extent of defalcation has been, prima facie, pegged at more than Rs. 3 crore.
“Since it now appears that the matter is being attended to by the state with the seriousness that it calls for, the contempt proceedings instituted against the Home Secretary are dropped,” the court said.
The court also hoped that the entire matter is monitored at the highest level to ensure that defalcated public funds are recovered and the culprit or culprits are brought to book.
“Let the matter appear three weeks hence to ascertain the progress in both the departmental proceedings and in respect of the FIR that is said to have been lodged,” the bench observed.
The matter has been scheduled for a hearing on November 25.
