CBI chargesheets 15 officials for rigging co-op bank polls

MOHALI : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against 15 persons, including five Punjab Police officials, a food safety officer, three officials of the department of cooperative societies and six others in the CBI special court in Mohali for rigging Primary Co-operative Agriculture Development Bank Ltd, Dharmkot, elections.

The CBI had registered the case on July 5 2016 on the orders of Punjab and Haryana high court. The petitioner alleged that he and his associates were not allowed to contest the elections to the directors of Primary Co-operative Agriculture Development Bank Ltd, Dharmkot, in Moga district. When he approached the high court, a false case under Section 420, 272, 273 of IPC and Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, was registered against him on March 24, 2014.

CBI investigation revealed that the officials of the department of cooperative societies and Punjab government had allegedly conspired with local police and some private persons to rig the election process on February 12, 2014. The CBI also accused that the police officials did not allow the petitioner and other candidates to file the nomination papers.

It was alleged that the officials of department of co-operative societies themselves deposited the nomination fees on behalf of selected few candidates and distorted the whole election process and declared them elected unopposed.