Bigwig on the run

According to an investigation report prepared by the Administration, Jerath had “deliberately withdrawn the powers of executive engineers and superintending engineers for placing the supply orders and centralised all these powers at his own level so as to be able to earn huge commission.”

Following a directive issued by the Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, Jerath’s passport was surrendered by his family members in April. Cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (Section 406 and 409 — criminal breach of trust by apublic servant; Section 420 — cheating and Section 120-B — criminal conspiracy) have been registered against him at the Vigilance Cell of the UT Administration and the Delhi office of the CBI. His bail application was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and then the Supreme Court.

In two separate cases, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has ordered penalty proceedings against Jerath and he has already been chargesheeted in one case.

Jerath would have celebrated his fourth anniversary as the chief engineer on October 26 this year. But in November 1997, the investigation wing of the Income Tax Directorate, Northern Region, conducted raids at the residence and office of Jerath, a few other officials of the Engineering Department as well as some contractors and suppliers. They seized nearly two kg of gold (one kg at his house and the rest in his locker), about 18 kg of silver, Rs 6.29 lakh in cash at his residence, Rs 5 lakh in his locker in a local bank, and documents pertaining to propertyin his name or in the names of his wife and children, though the recovery is still to be proved in the court.

The documents related to the purchase of an industrial shed and a one-kanal house in Panchkula, nearly eight acres of farm near Panchkula, a residential plot in Gurgaon in the name of his only daughter and the purchase of property near Faridabad.

Soon after the raid, Jerath was suspended by the UT Administration. Jerath said “wrong charges” were levelled against him. He refused to comment further on the matter for nearly three months. In February, he brushed aside all the allegations and told The Indian Express that these had been gifted by his parents and parents-in-law.

Investigators from the Income Tax Department, however, subsequently established that his parents or his parents-in-law did not have the means to gift the money, the jewellery or the property to him. Further inquiries by this department and the Vigilance Cell revealed that he allegedly received kickbacks amounting to severallakhs of rupees from various firms supplying electrical and public health material. Jerath, however, dismissed charges of forming clique with officials of his department, contractors and suppliers for tenders and supply of material.

Jerath also alleged that the UT Home Secretary-cum-Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) Anuradha Gupta was “inimical” towards him and was “bent upon fixing” him. However, he himself withdrew the charges in the Supreme Court.

Later, Jerath left Chandigarh on the pretext of visiting his ailing brother-in-law in Amritsar. Teams of Chandigarh Police tried to trace him there, but without success. Then, Jerath wrote to the Administration saying that he was in a hospital in Chennai and was under treatment. This was followed by another letter saying that he was in a Delhi hospital.

Meanwhile, the leave applications sent by the suspended Chief Engineer were consistently rejected by the Administration.

Last fortnight, Jerath again wrote to the UT Administrator Lt Gen B K N Chhibber(retd) seeking to dissociate Anuradha Gupta from the inquiry against him, though his similar pleas had not found favour with the CVC, the High Court as well as the Supreme Court.

Even as the CVO continues receiving threats of personal harm to her and her family members, the investigations into the working of the Engineering Department have opened a pandora’s box. Say top officials of the Administration: “As one thing was investigated, more irregularities and malpractices came to light.” The inquiries revealed a clique between officials, contractors and suppliers which allegedly manipulated tenders, investigators say.

Over the years, the Administration had paid little attention to the working of the engineering wing with the Chief Engineer also functioning as the Secretary of the Department. Investigations by the Vigilance Cell revealed that tenders were regularly manipulated and work was allegedly allotted to favoured contractors and suppliers in an arbitrary manner.

Various other officials of theengineering department including two superintending engineers, executive engineers and sub-divisional engineers have been arrested and suspended, besides the arrest of several contractors and suppliers, for their involvement. Investigations are on into the involvement of a retired superintending engineer in the case, while other senior functionaries who are suspected to be involved have been repatriated to their parent cadres of Punjab or Haryana.

Following the investigations and the reports sent by the Administration to the CVC, the Commission recommended penalty proceedings against Jerath and other senior officers in a case pertaining to the allotment of civil works of the newly constructed Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh — a project worth about Rs 100 crore. The CVC also recommended penalty proceedings against Jerath in another case related to the allotment of electrical works in Chandigarh. In the second case, a chargesheet has already been served on Jerath through a public noticesince he is absconding.

Sources close to Jerath say that he would have given himself up before the court after he was declared a PO as soon as Anuradha Gupta’s term came to a close at the end of this month so that a fresh investigation in the entire case could start. But Union Home Minister L.K. Advani wrote to Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal to extend her deputation by another year to Chandigarh Administration. Haryana had earlier cleared her continuation but had almost immediately withdrawn it.

In February, Jerath had said that he was totally innocent and was being implicated on account of personal rivalries. “I firmly say that I did not take money or commission from any contractor, supplier or liaison agent,” he had added. “The truth will prevail and I will be cleared of all these charges.” But he did not wait for that and disappeared from the sight of the investigators.