Naik hides behind judges; 3 of them say system stinks, a fourth faces CBI on ‘bribe-for-pump’

This is Justice M R Agnihotri, formerly of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and former Chandigarh chairman of the DSB. ‘‘Justice Agnihotri has amassed huge disproportionate assets by collecting money for allotting petrol pumps from different parties during his tenure’’, says the CBI’s FIR, a copy of which is with The Indian Express.

The CBI has alleged that the allotment was done on false and fictitious documents. And that he ‘‘dishonestly and fraudulently’’ gave higher marks to the allottee. During raids in June, the CBI found that Agnihotri had accumulated assets worth Rs 71 lakh.

When contacted, Agnihotri, who got interim anticipatory bail, said: ‘‘The case is sub judice so I would not like to speak.’’ Naik refused to comment saying let the CBI come out with its findings. Sobha Dixit, a former judge of the Allahabad High Court, was among 12 DSB chiefs whose appointments were cancelled mid-term.

‘‘The telephone calls and lists used to come mostly from the junior staff of the (Petroleum) Ministry in New Delhi. Though I used to keep changing hotels, they would find out where I was staying and make their requests. But I never assured them of selecting their candidates which was not to their liking.’’

On being removed, she said: ‘‘We were told there were complaints but none were forwarded to us even on request and no reason given for changing the DSB heads. The pattern was obvious. This was because we were not doing what they wanted us to.’’

The former judge, who was heading the DSB at Agra, said she had a ‘‘miserable’’ stint and that the sudden removal was in bad taste. ‘‘The whole policy of the Government was a corrupt one. Applicants were supposed to have an annual income of under Rs 2 lakh but had to invest above Rs 7 lakh if they got a petrol pump. How could it work? Applicants came with fictitious papers and we had no way of checking their antecedents. I am glad the whole system has been disbanded by the Govt.’’

Krishan Kumar Doda, former District and Sessions Judge of Sarsa, Haryana, said that besides pressure from politicains, he was also subjected to threats and complaints from some lumpen elements (badmaash log). ‘‘But as a judge, I have been used to such threats and pressure from politically well-connected people. I never paid any heed and made the allotments very judiciously, only on merit and to avoid being harassed, I never disclosed the venue of the meetings.’’

Doda, who was heading one of the three DSB’s from Haryana, said while the system of making allotments via the committee was a ‘‘burden on the exchequer’’ the system announced by the Govt today could also be fraught with difficulties. ‘‘The whole allotment business will go into the hands of another sort of mafia. It will go out of the public purview which according to me, is also not an ideal situation.’’

Justice Purujeet Anirudh Saiyed (retired), who was chairman of the DSB in Ahmedabad said that by taking such a bold step, the PM is ‘‘convinced about the irregularities and that is why he is standing up against them by taking such a serious step. It is really creditable for the PM to have taken such a step.’’ — with Janyala Sreenivas