The Meghalaya High Court has today sought a report from the State government through the Secretary, Home Department regarding the action taken against those officials prima facie found to be involved in the police vehicle scam.
While hearing the PIL filed by former diplomat Riewad V. Warjri and another citizen on the matter, the division bench of the High Court directed the Secretary, Home Department to file the report at the next hearing of the PIL scheduled on October 17.
The PIL was filed seeking the High Court intervention into the perceived illegal procurement of vehicles by some officials of the Police Department.
The two petitioners claim that different vehicles were purchased by the Police Department since 2019 without any valid sanction from the competent authority and that a total number of 29 official vehicles were in the personal custody of Gabriel K. Iangrai, the then Assistant Inspector General (Administration) of the Meghalaya Police.
The petitioners suspect that though there was some hue and cry after the matter surfaced and some semblance of an inquiry may also have been conducted, there may be an attempt to cover up the entire episode and, worse still, not take steps against the guilty nor make any attempt to recover the public money that has obviously been squandered.
During today’s hearing, the State government told the High Court that the inquiry has been conducted into the matter and that charges would be framed against some persons against whom prima facie material has been discovered. However, the State government said that it is too early for any drastic action to be taken immediately.
As to whether any steps have been taken to ensure that those perceived to be behind the defalcation do not remove, dissipate or transfer their assets, the State government told the court that it is only after any person is found guilty of defalcation that steps may be taken to recover the money that may have been misappropriated.
“Unfortunately, the greater scam in this country is not in the scams themselves, but in the inquiries that follow the scams. More often than not, tomes of paper are wasted to bury the truth and seldom have the guilty been taken to task or any attempt made to recover the public money that was wasted. It is hoped that this particular matter does not travel the same established route,” the High Court observed.
“The State should file a report through the Secretary in the Home Department indicating the effective measures taken, including arresting any attempt by those prima facie found to be involved in the racket to remove their assets or funds. Such report should be filed when the matter appears next on October 17,” the court added.
It may be mentioned that a high-level inquiry, ordered by Meghalaya Director General of Police L R Bishnoi, had unearthed the unofficial procurement and mismanagement of 29 vehicles and the misuse of fuel by the then Assistant Inspector General of Police (Administration), Gabriel K. Iangrai.
The inquiry headed by Additional Inspector General of Police Mukesh Kumar Singh also detected unofficial procurement of vehicles, non-registration of 29 vehicles, discrepancies in documents, questionable allotment and purchase of cheaper models against the sanction of expensive variants by Iangrai.
It was also revealed that the delivery of most of the vehicles procured by the Police headquarters under various heads were personally managed by Iangrai through various people attached to him. Moreover, the enquiry report said that the fuel coupons for vehicles were issued by him directly without any sanction from a competent authority.
