Chennai: As state police failed to nail a retired IAS officer, his son and a press reporter in a job racket, the Madras high court has transferred investigation to CBI.
While quashing the final report before X Metropolitan magistrate court, Egmore, by Thirumangalam police, Justice P.N. Prakash said the inspector acted as the guard of the milk and frend of the cat.
The judge passed the order when petitions filed by IAS officer, D. Vivekanandan and his son Kavin Vivek, came up for hearing. They sought to quash the final report.
A. Ganapathy, 60, a press reporter, knew IAS officer D.Vivekanandan and his son intimately. Vivekanandan, during 2013, was working as project director in Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society in the cadre of secretary to government. Ten persons approached Ganapathy for getting appointment as public relations officer with the help of his contacts with the government.
According to Ganapathy he took 10 victims, most of them belonging to Dalit community and hailing from far flung villages in the state, to Vivekanandans and each of them paid Rs 13 lakh on September 14, to the officer and his son. Kavin gave a receipt on a Rs 20 non-judicial stamp paper, acknowledging receipt of Rs 1.30 crore from them.
As time passed, the duo did not get jobs for them and hence they started putting pressurising Ganapathy. Ganapathy said that on December 25, 2013, Kavin came to a place and pointing a suitcase kept in his car, told Ganapathy that it contained Rs 1.30 crores and asked him to return the original receipt.
Soon after handing over the original receipt, Kavin sped away in his car. As
Thirumangalam police did not register a case against them, he approached the high court.
Based on the direction of the court, the police registered an FIR against them on December 31, 2013 for offences under Section 420, 406 and 506(II) IPC and the petition was closed on January 10, 2014.
The police filed a final report on January 9 and court issued non-bailable warrants. Ganapathy moved the high court as police were soft-pedaling the whole case and not executing the warrants as pressure was being mounted on them by IAS lobby.
CMDA, registration dept officials summoned
The Madras High Court has directed officials of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and registration department to appear before the court in connection with a petition which sought to restrain the authorities from converting the agricultural land for commercial purpose including housing plots.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan before which the PIL filed by an advocate Elephant Rajendran came up for hearing, said “In order to pass necessary orders we would require a senior officer from CMDA and registering authority to remain present in the court who is familiar with the issue.”
The petitioner sought for a direction to prevent authorities from giving approval or permission to convert agricultural land into housing layouts. He also sought direction to prevent IG Registration from registering the unapproved plots and buildings. He expressed concern over conversion of agricultural lands for urban use in an unauthorised manner.
