VAT SCAM: HC SEEKS STATUS REPORT FROM ED

CHANDIGARH : The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday sought a status report from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into its investigations in the alleged Rs 10,000-crore

Value Added Tax (VAT) evasion scam in Haryana.

The order was passed by high court bench of justice Rajan Gupta following ED’S special prosecutor Sukhdeep Singh Sandhu apprising the court that a total of 57 FIRS have been registered by Haryana police out of which ED has started its investigation in 25 FIRS. Remaining 32 FIRS were handed over to ED on August 30 and are being scrutinized, Sandhu told court. Following his submissions the court adjourned the matter for December 8 and sought a status report from ED.

The petition filed by Kaithal resident, Raghbir Singh and Ajmer (Rajasthan) resident, Shiv Sawhney, had sought Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the scam.

As per petitioner it was on their complaints that Haryana lokayukta had handed over the probe to a special investigation team (SIT), headed by then inspector general of police Shrikant Jadhav. On the basis of probe in 10 districts, SIT was able to bring to surface estimated revenue losses of about ₹10,618 crores.

The SIT report was submitted in January 2015, in which CBI probe was recommended. But as government was dillydallying, the petitioner had approached the high court, seeking CBI probe.