Chandigarh Policemen in Sector 26 , Chandigarh. (Express Photo by Sahil Walia)
POLICE have filed an FIR against three senior officials, including a former official of the Chandigarh Administration, on the complaint of a liquor distributor, who moved the district court under Section 156(3) of CrPC, on Friday. The FIR was registered against former excise and taxation officer Ravinder Kaushik and present officers R L Chugh and Ramesh Bhateja. The court passed orders on a complaint filed by businessman Kamaljit Singh Bajaj, director of Liquor World Venture.
The order of judicial magistrate Jaspreet Singh, directed SHO, Industrial Area, Inspector Devinder Singh, to register FIR under sections 379 (punishment for theft) and 166 (public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person) of the IPC against Bhateja and under section 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) against Kaushik and Chugh at the Industrial Area Police Station. The police are scheduled to file a copy of the FIR in the local court on September 8.
The case was filed in court by Bajaj on July 3. The complainant stated that he had been allotted six liquor vends under the current excise policy for the year. He alleged that the six liquor vends were controlled by the excise department through the three accused. Bajaj had alleged that the two officers, Chugh and Bhateja, had harassed him at the behest of Kaushik, who had joined the Chandigarh Administration on deputation. Bajaj said Kaushik had illegally tried to seal one of the liquor vends in Industrial Area Phase 1 and that the latter also nursed a grudge against him. Bajaj further stated that as liquor vendors, close to Kaushik, were not allotted vends, due to which Kaushik nursed a grudge against Bajaj.
Bajaj also alleged that Bhateja stole Rs 200 from the drawer of his liquor vend, which he placed on record as a video recording in the court. The court has also considered opinion that from the allegations made in the complaint along with the video recording placed on record, the accused Bhateja allegedly committed theft and misused his authority, thereby committing offence punishable under sections 379 and 166 of IPC.
The court held that prime facie made out against Kaushik and RL Chugh for conspiring with Bhateja so as to cause injury to Bajaj. SHO Devinder Singh said, “The statements of three booked officers, including a former officer, will be recorded. Summons will be issued against them. We will also record the statement of complainant Bajaj.”
