HC calls for audit records of depts

PATNA: The Patna High Court on Monday directed the state finance commissioner to be present before it on April 30 with audit records relating to alleged misappropriation of crores of rupees in different government departments.
A division bench comprising Justice Narayan Roy and Justice Jayanandan Singh issued the directive on a PIL of Council for Protection of Public Rights and Welfare.The PIL has alleged misappropriation and defalcation of Rs 1,700 crore in different state departments during 16 years of rule of the previous government.
The court also directed the finance commissioner to inform the court about the action taken against the erring officials.
Petitioner's counsel M P Gupta submitted that as per the state government's internal audit report, most of the misappropriation of money related to non-submission of utilisation certificate of the works for which the money had been drawn from government treasuries.
Apart from this, crores of rupees were siphoned off, he said, adding even the CAG has reported misappropriation of Rs 384 crore in different government departments.
The state government counsel submitted that the internal audit report had pointed to misappropriation of Rs 17 crore only in different departments.
NH widening: The same bench allowed the Central government two weeks' time for filing a counter affidavit with regard to the timeframe to be maintained in constructing the four-lane 870 km stretch of the different national highways (NHs) across the state.
The order was passed on a PIL seeking direction to the state government and Central government to improve the two NHs that link Muzaffarpur to Sitamarhi and Sheohar.
Writ petition dismissed: A division bench comprising Chief Justice J N Bhatt and Justice Shailesh Kumar Sinha on Monday dismissed the writ petition of Patna Mahanagar Non-Gazetted Elementary Teachers' Union which sought a direction to the state government and the Election Commission not to depute elementary school teachers in non-teaching works, including election duties.
Petitioner's counsel Vishnu Kant Dubey submitted that the engagement of teachers in election work was violative of the Constitutional provision under Article 21(A) which envisages free and compulsory education to children in the age group of 6-14 years.