The Hindu : National : No chargesheet filed yet in Janawad scam case

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Monday, Jul 10, 2006

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National

No chargesheet filed yet in Janawad scam case

Special Correspondent

It was exposed through one of the early uses of Right to Information

JAIPUR: No chargesheet has been filed in the court so far in the multi-lakh Janawad scam which was exposed through one of the early uses of right to information in 2001 in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan. The status of the case has come to light during the ongoing "Drive against Bribe'' campaign in the State.

In an extremely fast response to an application filed over the week-end by Shankar Singh of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, who wanted to know the details of action on the Janawad scam, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Rajsamand, stated that chargesheets against 11 elected representatives and Government officials involved in the case had not yet been filed.

Irregularities worth lakhs of rupees were unearthed in panchayat works in Janawad in 2001.

Mr. Singh was also informed that investigation into the case had been delayed because original documents such as muster rolls, based on which the scam came to light, had gone missing.

At the end of first week of the campaign to counter corruption and bribery in Government offices, interesting cases of people taking up the use of the Right to Information Act in public interest, such as for exposing corruption or fighting for their collective rights, have come up.

The Suchana Evum Rozgar Ka Adhikar Abhiyan has established assistance centres in Jaipur and several towns across the State as part of the campaign, which has received an overwhelming response from public and helped generate awareness about the path-breaking law on right to information.

Sowmya Sivakumar of the Abhiyan said here on Sunday that a group of 45 safai karamcharis employed in the Abu Road Municipal Council put in a joint application as to why they had not received their wages for the last three months.

These safai karamcharis were hired on a contract basis and paid a paltry amount of Rs. 40 to Rs. 45 per day.

Applications are also being filed asking for information regarding the Public Distribution System and Anganwadis. An application was put in by Hashim Bhai of Shurpagala panchayat, who demanded to know why there were no muster rolls or Government works in his panchayat. The results were immediate, and in a few days, works were started.

The newly appointed Chief Information Commissioner of the State, M.D. Korani, has decided five of the 20 second appeals received so far in favour of the applicants and referred 50 letters in the nature of complaints to the departments concerned.

Mr. Korani, telling this to a delegation from the Abhiyan, pointed out that the Commission was working towards publicising the names of Public Information Officers and simplifying the procedure for applying under the RTI Act. So far, he is the only officer in the Commission with no other Information Commissioner having been appointed.

The Abhiyan activists filed an application under the RTI Act in the Information Commission seeking to know the status of appeals and complaints received since the law came into force.

The CIC has also been asked what was the compliance of the Commission itself with Section 4 of the Act, as even its address and phone numbers were not in the public domain.

Ms. Sivakumar pointed out that several lacunae in the procedure for accepting applications had come to light in the course of the campaign.

In Bikaner, for instance, not a single receipt of Rs. 10 for applications under the RTI Act was given in the Collectorate. Most offices in the district are simply putting a ''received'' stamp on the xerox copy of the original application.

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