SHILLONG, Nov 16: All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Saket Gokhale said it is shocking that the Meghalaya Lokayukta has dismissed the complaint against GK Iangrai without hearing the complainant or the witnesses or providing them a convenient way of doing so.
In a letter to the Chairperson of Meghalaya Lokayukta Bhalang Dhar, the TMC leader said a complaint was filed with the Lokayukta against SF-10 Commandant Iangrai and former Meghalaya Director General of Police Rajkumar Chandranathan in connection with the scam in the procurement of vehicles by Meghalaya Police Headquarters (PHQ).
He said the Lokayukta had fixed November 15 as the date of hearing the maintainability of the complaint.
“Despite having informed the Lokayukta that the complainant won’t be available in person, a video-conference link was neither sent to the complainant nor the witnesses,” Gokhale said.
“Even in judicial proceedings, including those in the Hon’ble High Court as well as the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, parties are given the option of attending proceedings through video conference,” he argued.
The TMC leader said it was bizarre that the complainant and witnesses were given no such option by the Lokayukta.
Gokhale said Iangrai has already been arrested by the police in connection with the vehicle scam. Therefore, he added, the maintainability of the complaint is crystal clear.
“Moreover, Iangrai’s lawyer has briefed the media saying that ‘the complaint has been dismissed’ which is shocking if true because the Meghalaya Lokayukta has issued orders ex-parte,” Gokhale said.
It was he who had lodged a formal complaint with the Lokayukta on the irregularities in the procurement of vehicles and other anomalies in the PHQ.
In a letter to the Lokayukta Chairperson, he had listed 10 points on the “horrendous conduct” of the Meghalaya Police.
Gokhale said he had taken the step on the basis of Dhar’s statement that he would initiate an inquiry if a formal complaint was lodged as there is no provision for suo motu investigation in the Lokayukta Act.
“A total of 29 new vehicles procured by the Meghalaya PHQ had not been officially allotted to any officer, neither were they allocated to a pool of vehicles for being at the disposal of the Meghalaya Police Department. These 29 new vehicles were found to have been in the personal use of AIG (A) GK Iangrai. There are instances of many new vehicles where cheaper models were purchased but invoices were raised showing procurement of more expensive variants by the AIG,” he had written.
“There are a gross number of irregularities found in the issuing of fuel coupons for these new vehicles where government fuel was being used for private use and fake fuel coupons were generated,” Gokhale had said.
He expressed dismay that despite an inquiry committee, headed by Meghalaya Additional IGP Mukesh Kumar Singh, exposing these irregularities in a report to the DGP, Meghalaya, there has been no action against Iangrai.
Following the complaint, the former DGP and Iangrai were summoned to appear before the Lokayukta on November 15 when a hearing was to have been conducted on the maintainability of the complaint.
However, the Lokayukta on Tuesday dismissed the case since the complainant was found absent.
Iangrai’s lawyer P Yobin had stated “as of today (November 15), there is no case pending against him (Iangrai) in Meghalaya Lokayukta.”
“Iangrai has only the CID SIT case pending against him and no notice has come for any other case,” the lawyer had stated.
