Recruitment scam: Himachal HC asks govt to file charge-sheet

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today set a four-week deadline for the state government to file a charge-sheet against persons accused in the illegal recruitment scam of 1993-98.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was heading the then Congress government when the alleged scam took place.
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Kuldip Singh passed the orders on a petition filed by SM Katwal, a former chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Board.
Katwal alleged that despite registering an FIR in 2006 on the directions of the high court, the state vigilance bureau had not done any investigation into the illegal recruitments.

He said no progress was made in the case after the high court stopped monitoring it after having disposed his writ petition in May 22, 2008.
The high court on June 24 last year asked the state to prepare details of the nature of investigation conducted into the case from November 2005 onwards and a compliance report was also filed in the court. As per the report, the probe into the case was completed in last December.
After conducting investigation into 60 departments, boards, corporations and universities, charge-sheets have been prepared in case of six departments and departmental action has been initiated in six others. It said departmental action could not be recommended due to retirement and death of officials in cases of 12 departments.

The previous BJP government had formed two separate committees to look into the recruitments made during the period.