Candidates,selectors were in touch during interviews

Consider this: Dr Navdeep Mittal,daughter of retired Inspector General of Police RP Mittal was to appear for her interview on September 10,2009. She exchanged three SMSes and one phone call with Dr SS Mohi,member of the Commission on the same day,the report states.

Other members who were in constant touch with the candidates on the dates of their interviews are: DS Mahal and Anil Sarin.

DS Mahal was in touch with four candidates on the date of their interviews. Mahal exchanged nine phone calls and three SMSes with four candidates and their relatives on different dates of their interview. Anil Sarin,member PPSC and a candidate’s father,exchanged two phone calls on the date of the interview i.e. on September 18,2009 (see box). Also,in a few instances,the Vigilance Bureau has found Cherry,son of Dr SS Mohi,to be in contact while the interviews were on. It is pertinent to mention here that all such candidates were eventually selected by the Commission for the post of medical officers.

The phone calls on the date of interview were brief,running into seconds. A few days prior to the interview,the call duration between candidates and members ranged from two to four minutes.

Another “glaring irregularity” which the Vigilance Bureau,Punjab headed by its chief Sumedh Singh Saini has spotted is the “cross linkages” amongst members of the Commission to “accommodate” each other’s “favoured” candidates. “There are instances where a candidate is in touch with one member but the interview has been conducted by other members who have given high marks in interview ensuring selection. The members watched each other’s interest. For instance,Akhil Sarin,nephew of member Anil Sarin was given 98/100 marks by Ravinder Kaur and 85/100 by DS Mahal. In several cases,the candidates were interviewed and selected by the very members with whom they had established contacts”,reads the report,first reported by The Indian Express on Thursday.

“The entire fraudulent selection may have to be scrapped and handed to an independent body. The indictment of all members of the Commission,cutting across party lines,clearly demonstrates that the government is serious about dealing with corruption,” said Rupinder Singh Khosla,Additional Advocate General of Punjab and also the acting Advocate General,Punjab. He added that the Vigilance Bureau needs to be commended for the exhaustive report. “The report is based on facts and not on accusations levelled by the candidates,” Khosla added.

When asked whether the State is contemplating registration of a criminal case against the members of the Commission,SC Aggarwal,Chief Secretary,Punjab,said,“Since Punjab and Haryana High Court is seized of the matter,we will await a decision of the Court”. A petition filed by KPS Gill,former Director General of Police (DGP),Punjab had moved the High Court seeking directions to Punjab Vigilance Bureau to expedite the investigation into the alleged illegal selection of 312 medical officers made by the Commission during 2008 and 2009.