FIR lodged against former Haryana minister in corruption case on court orders

Following court orders, police have booked former minister Sukhbir Kataria and four others under provisions of the anti-corruption act for allegedly misusing a government grant, officials said on Tuesday. Hearing a petition filed by Om Prakash Kataria, a resident of Sector 12, a Gurugram court had deemed the matter serious and ordered the registration of an FIR. The petition, filed a year ago, alleged that the senior Congress leader, while serving as a minister, had issued a grant of around Rs 20 lakh for the repair of his own house. According to the complainant, the grant was shown as approved in the names of Anant Singh, Sharmila Devi and Basanti Devi, even though the house in question actually belonged to the former minister. Documents, including electricity bills, supporting the claim were submitted in the court, he said. The complainant told PTI that the court had sought an action-taken report from the Gurugram police in the matter. Subsequently, two reports were filed by police giving the former minister a clean chit. The court, however, questioned the reports and stated that while the grants were confirmed, their validity was not properly verified. It then ordered the registration of an FIR. If the allegations are found to be true, it becomes a cognisable offence and an impartial investigation is necessary, the court said. A senior police officer said that on the direction of the court, an FIR was registered at the New Colony police station, and a detailed investigation is underway. When contacted, former minister Sukhbir Kataria said an SIT has been formed twice, and the case has been ''given a clean chit''. He added that he has full faith in the judiciary and will cooperate fully with the investigation. All government grants are given through the DC and SDM after verification, he added.

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