Panel to submit bank fraud report in Budget session

NEWDELHI: The Question and Reference Committee of the Delhi assembly, which is probing an alleged ₹100 crore scam in the Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank (cooperative bank), will table its report in the upcoming budget session recommending action against erring officials, including “possible jail term”.

The bank comes under the domain of the government’s registrar of cooperative societies.

A meeting of the committee was held on Thursday where chief secretary Anshu Prakash, registrar of cooperative societies JB Singh and former registrar of cooperative societies Shurbir Singh remained absent.

Prakash, who had earlier accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAS of assaulting him in an official meeting at CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, had on Wednesday moved Delhi high court against the summon issued by the committee and got relief from the court.

However, the other two IAS officers were on leave and because of that they could not attend the meeting proceeding .

Member of the committee, Saurabh Bharadwaj said that around 17-18 meetings have been conducted in the probe of alleged scam of fraud loans and enough time had been given to the officers for their explanation regarding what action they had taken in this connection.

“The committee will table its report in the budget session starting from March 16. In this matter the committee will request the House to use its inherent powers (sending people to jail) to punish culprits,” he said.

Recently, the AAP has served a privilege notice to the chief secretary for non-appearance before the panel. The committee, however, had assured the Delhi high court on Monday that it would not take any action against Prakash in the matter until the next date of hearing on April 11.

The committee members expressed unhappiness over the absence of IAS officer and said apprehensions that officials would be harassed in the committee meetings were “baseless”.

JUDICIAL CUSTODY OF MLAS EXTENDED

A city court on Thursday extended by 14 days the judicial custody of AAP MLAS Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal, arrested in connection with the alleged assault of chief secretary Anshu Prakash during a meeting. The MLAS will now be in Mandoli jail till March 22.