Cash-for-clearing-bills scam in Haryana: No bail for accused IAS officer

CHANDIGARH: A special judge of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) court of Panchkula on Wednesday declined anticipatory bail to IAS officer Vijay Singh Dahiya, commissioner and secretary,youth empowerment and entrepreneurship department, Haryana, in the cash-for-clearing-bills case registered by the bureau last month.
“The arrest of the accused would unfold various facets of the whole episode and any other associated matters whereas grant of the anticipatory bail to the applicant/accused would mean a blow to the ongoing investigation, which would not proceed effectively,’’ said the additional district and sessions judge (ADJ), who also holds charge of court for ACB cases, while handing out 20 page order while dismissing Dahiya’s application move on April 28
The relief of anticipatory bail is discretionary and same cannot be claimed as a matter of right.The court has to strike a balance between the right to personal liberty of the individual concerned and investigation rights of the investigating agency while dealing with the application for anticipatory bail. Looked from that angle and for the reasons recorded above, it is not a case fit for grant of anticipatory bail to the accused, the order passed by court further stated..
Notably, the incident happened last week when the ACB had arrested Poonam Chopra while accepting a bribe money of Rs 3 lakh from Rinku Manchanda, a resident of Fatehabad, from Panchkula’s Sector 9 in lieu of getting his bills worth Rs 50 lakh that were pending for the past over three years.
Consequently, the FIR was registered and Dahiya and Deepak Sharma, a chief skills officer (CSO) of Haryana Skill Development Mission (SKDM), were also named as accused in the FIR.
In his bail application, Dahiya claimed to have been fully cooperating with the ACB in investigations and his mobile phone and Apple watch is in the possession of bureau officials, who have interrogated him on the day of incident.
While, pleading innocence for Dahiya, the defense counsel had stated that he had nothing to do with the conversation between Poonam Chopra and Rinku Manchanda. Even, the ACB sleuths had interrogated him in the ACB office of Panchkula and had let him go after signing of certain documents.
According to the bail application, Dahiya had also assured to abide by terms and conditions of bail and to cooperate with the investigations agency.
While opposition the bail, the public prosecutor on behalf of the ACB, admitted Dahiya’s interrogation, but maintained that on the day of incident and his arrest was not required given certain technicalities and procedures required for this purpose.