Early Times Report
Jammu, June 20 : High court judge Tashi Rabstan has stayed proceedings against a sub-divisional agriculture officer (SDAO) before the state vigilance commission (SVC) in an alleged corruption case.
The court directive came in a petition filed by SDAO Narinder Kumar Mishra, seeking quashment of SVC notice No SVC/Comp-223/2016 issued to him on May 11, 2016.
As per the allegations in the complaint, the petitioner had told respondent No 2 that being a forest officer, he could arrange timber for him for using it in his business establishment. The petitioner stated that the allegations were not only false, but concocted as well as he was never an employee of forest department as had been alleged by the complainant. He saud he was selected by PSC in 1982 as Agriculture Assistant Officer in the agriculture department and became a Member of the J&K Agriculture Gazetted Service and thereafter promoted as incharge Manager of Chinore Farms.
The petitioner's counsel that he on account of the marriage of his daughter had approached the complainant for booking of the function, ie reception of barat on January 25, 2015. The hotel was booked along with open lawn at the rate of Rs 1,450 per plate. Some amount was paid by the petitioner at the time of booking of the hotel on January 10, 2015 and rest of the amount was paid to the complainant on subsequent dates. While he was waiting for the complainant to provide him the detail of remaining payment, if any, he received the impugned notice, directing him to appear before SVC on June 3, 2015 in a complaint filed by the hotel's managing partner.(JNF) |
