Case ordered against Haryana's ex-chief parliamentary secretary

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Wednesday ordered registration of a criminal case against former chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Ram Kishan Fauji in the Change of Land Use (CLU) scam.

Khattar ordered registration of the case for commission of an offence punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, a government spokesman said here.

The registration of the case was ordered on the basis of the report of the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) in Chandigarh into the CDs of a sting operation against Fauji, a former Congress legislator.

Haryana's Lokayukta had in January recommended registration of a corruption case against Fauji in the cash-for CLU scandal.

"The chief minister ordered that the matter be referred to the state vigilance bureau, the suggestions made by the Lokayukta be implemented, and a senior and competent police officer deputed to investigate the entire case expeditiously on all counts of allegations of corruption levelled in the CD," the spokesman said.

The Lokayukta had got a complaint, with the video CD, showing Fauji allegedly demanding Rs.5 crore from the complainant to get him a CLU licence from the previous Congress government in Haryana headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Fauji was shown to have demanded Rs.5 crore in lieu of helping the complainant for the grant of CLU for a hotel of 70-80 rooms to be constructed on four acres of land in front of Haldiram's complex near Gurgaon on the busy Delhi-Jaipur national highway.

The Lokayukta order was seen as an embarrassment for the Hooda government.

Fauji was a legislator from Bhiwani Khera (reserved) assembly seat in Haryana.

The opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had released CDs of some Haryana Congress legislators, including Fauji, and their kin in 2013 in which they were shown making deals to procure CLU certificates from the Hooda government for a hefty consideration.

INLD leader Abhay Chautala had alleged that the Hooda government had indulged in corruption by granting hundreds of CLUs while ignoring the interests of the people of Haryana.

Other legislators on whom CDs were released included Vinod Bhayaina, Naresh Selwal, Sampat Singh, Ram Niwas Ghorela, Jaleb Khan and Jarnail Singh.

CLU licences are a big attraction in Haryana, particularly in districts adjoining national capital New Delhi, due to real estate prices. Haryana surrounds Delhi from three sides, including Gurgaon district.