Former Rera chief Baldi terms defamation FIR ‘baseless’, Gupta hits back

Shimla: The war of words between former Himachal Pradesh chief secretaries Shrikant Baldi and Sanjay Gupta intensified on Saturday.Baldi, the former chairperson of the real estate regulatory authority (Rera), in a press statement, claimed that the FIR registered against him was "false and baseless" and "devoid of any substance".On May 30, based on a complaint by Sanjay Gupta, an FIR was registered against Baldi in Shimla. Gupta has alleged defamation.Baldi said the FIR was filed on his press statement issued on April 12, which was based on documentary evidence, and he fully stood by it, including his "doubtful integrity" remark against Gupta.The former Rera chief said in his earlier press statement he had raised questions about two orders Gupta allegedly issued while serving as chief secretary concerning a housing project in Solan district.He claimed that Gupta, on his last day in office as chief secretary, misused his official position to lodge a false FIR in an attempt to divert attention from the alleged irregularities related to the housing project.Baldi further accused Gupta of issuing "wrong orders" even during his earlier postings in districts. Referring to a press statement issued by the CPI(M) on May 24, opposing Gupta's appointment as chief secretary, Baldi noted that the party cited a public interest litigation pending before the high court, which allegedly mentioned three FIRs registered against Gupta in the past in corruption cases.He also referred to allegations regarding Gupta's arrest by the vigilance bureau in Solan in 2009 after Rs 2 lakh in cash was reportedly recovered from his vehicle. Allegations trashedRejecting the allegations, Gupta told TOI that Baldi should provide all these facts and documents to the police. "Mere registration of an FIR does not make a person of doubtful integrity as per the Supreme Court judgment in the Janakiraman case. A person against whom prosecution sanction has been granted comes under the office of doubtful integrity," he said.Gupta added that Baldi should have instead questioned the appointment of a former chief secretary against whom the government had already issued a prosecution sanction.He also stated that Baldi had not mentioned the registration of projects that violated the revenue department's orders. He said Baldi had not disclosed that an IAS officer before him had issued an order in favour of the Solan housing project, which was not complied with by the Solan municipal commissioner.Gupta further cited a 2017 judgment of the Shimla special court that ordered the cancellation of an FIR registered against him by the vigilance department in 2009.He also stated that the state govt had given him a clean chit in a separate corruption case registered in Kinnaur in 1996 following a detailed inquiry. Gupta added that the state government had granted him vigilance clearance and an integrity certificate.MSID:: 131551829 413 |