Assembly panel probing cooperative bank scam may recommend jail term for officers

A Delhi Assembly panel probing an alleged Rs 100-crore scam in government-run cooperative bank may recommend strict action including "jail term" for some officials for not attending its meetings, said committee member and AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj.
The report of the Question and Reference Committee recommending action will be tabled in the upcoming budget session of the Delhi Assembly, he said.
The committee probing the alleged scam in Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank had called three senior government officials -- chief secretary Anshu Prakash, registrar of societies J B Singh and his predecessor Shurbir Singh -- for hearing today but they remained absent.

The committee, including its chairman Rakhi Birla and members Saurabh Bhardwaj and Akhilesh Tripathi, registered their strong disapproval over the absence of the officials.
The chief secretary had approached the high court to prevent his summoning by the committee and was given relief by the court. The other two officials were reportedly on leave.
The committee has held 16-17 meetings so far but they evade its meetings and I feel report of the committee should now be submitted to the House," Bhardwaj said.

He stated that the committee may recommend "jail terms" for the officials in its report that will be tabled in the budget session of Delhi Assembly beginning from March 16.

The Assembly may use its power to initiate proceedings against the officers, he said.
The committee had launched its probe in the alleged scam after a question by Tripathi, asked in Delhi Assembly, had not yielded a satisfactory answer, in January 2017.
The alleged irregularities in the cooperative bank came to light in 2013, after complaints were filed to the registrar of cooperative societies and and RBI, charging fraudulent loans.