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Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 13
More than four years after the alleged pick and choose policy in the initiation of action in the HUDA multiple plots allotment case was brought to the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s notice, the Bench was today told that 2,056 cases had been registered against 2,595 persons till November.
VIPs In The Dock?
The list was in addition to a directory of “50 top officials and politicians, having multiple allotment, but whose names have deliberately not been disclosed or FIRs not registered”
As the case came up for resumed hearing, an affidavit filed by IPS officer Arun Kumar was placed before Justice Daya Chaudhary’s Bench. It said 1,369 cases were under investigation, while further probe was being carried out in 362 cases. In no less than 153 cases, untraced reports had been filed. Cancellation reports had been prepared in another 158 cases.
The case primarily pertains to over three lakh allotments made by the Haryana Urban Development Authority since 1983 when policies against multiple plot allotments were formed. The policies, by and large, prohibit existing allottees and property-holders in Haryana from seeking allotment of the additional HUDA plots/flats.
Taking up the matter, Justice Chaudhary verbally observed when the court took cognisance, it did not know that the authority could do so much wrong and allot plots beyond entitlement. Questioning “hide and seek” on HUDA’s part, the Bench observed it used initials and did not give father’s name of the allottees so as to protect people.
An accused in the case had, in July 2015, placed a substantial number of VIPs in dock. Building up a case of discrimination against HUDA, he came out with about 25 additional names of politicians and bureaucrats.
The list, provided by applicant Raghbir Singh through counsel Harmanjit Singh Sethi, was in addition to a directory of “50 top officials and politicians, having multiple allotment, but whose names have deliberately not been disclosed or FIRs not registered”.
Sethi had submitted in a plea that HUDA and the state were never serious in prosecuting a number of allottees, especially IAS, IPS, judicial officers and others high-ups. As a consequence, the High Court, vide an order dated January 18, 2018, clearly ordered that FIRs should be registered against all allottees having more than one plot. Handing over the inquiry into the case to a three-member committee headed by a retired judge, Justice Chaudhary had asserted thousands of plots were allotted in violation of the policy in force.
Bringing out the illegalities in the allotments made by HUDA, the Bench had asserted a gardener was allotted a plot in the advocates’ category. Junior engineers and superintendents with a monthly income of more than Rs 2,500 too were allotted plots meant for those belonging to the economically weaker section.
“It is not a case of multiple allotment of plots to a few persons but thousands of plots have been allotted to a number of people contrary to the terms and conditions of the policy and without the verification of documents,” Justice Chaudhary had asserted.
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