New Delhi: The Delhi Government has sent a
detailed report to the Union Home Ministry about PWD Minister
Rajkumar Chauhan`s alleged involvement in protecting a leading
resort in a tax evasion case for which the Lokayukta has
recommended his removal from office.
Top Delhi government sources said a detailed report
has been sent to the Home Ministry, which has directed the
city administration to file its response in the matter.
The Home Ministry`s direction to the Delhi Government
came late last month, nearly two months after Lokayukta
Justice Manmohan Sarin had recommended to President Pratibha
Patil to "withdraw her pleasure" for the Minister to continue
in office as he "misused" his official position and indicted
him for misconduct of "grave nature".
The decision on Chauhan`s fate lies with the
President, who has three months time to take action. The
communication from the Home Ministry, officials said, is part
of the decision making process by the President which is
expected to be completed by the end of May.
Justice Sarin`s order in late February had come in a
case pertaining to Chauhan`s alleged involvement in
influencing a team of tax officials when they were carrying
out a survey in Tivoli Garden resort in South Delhi in
February last year.
The opposition BJP has been pressing for Chauhan`s
removal since issuance of the order by the Lokayukta and had
even targeted Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for not sacking
him.
Chauhan, who represents Mangopuri Assembly
constituency in Outer Delhi, is considered close to Dikshit
and was given the Urban Development portfolio in the recent
reshuffle of the Cabinet even as he was facing criticism for
alleged irregularities in certain CWG projects implemented by
his Public Works Department.
The CBI had on April 30 registered a case against some
officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) and a few firms
in connection with alleged irregularities in the project for
construction of the Rs 620 crore Barapullah Nullah flyover for
the Commonwealth Games.
The Lokayukta order had said that "the Minister made a
telephone call to the Commissioner of Trade of Taxes in the
evening of February 20 last year when a team of tax officials
were carrying search and survey at the premises of Tivoli
Garden Resort to unearth huge evasion of taxes and concealment
of income."
In his defence, Chauhan said as public representative,
he gets lots of calls from people requesting for favours and
he only responded to such a call.
Following the Lokayukta order, Dikshit had attacked
the Lokayukta and even said that there was a need to look into
the functioning of the body and to make it "more transparent"
and "just".
PTI
