IAS Santosh Verma and CM Dr. Mohan Yadav.
State Bureau, Bhopal. The matter of appointment of IAS officer and President of Scheduled Caste-Tribe Officers and Employees Association (Ajax) Santosh Verma in the IAS cadre resonated in the Assembly. Deputy Leader of Opposition Hemant Katare asked for detailed information in this regard from Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav.
CM Dr. Mohan Yadav told the House that Santosh Verma had certified his integrity on the basis of the acquittal order given by the court on 6 October 2020. This order was declared legal by the District Public Prosecution Officer, Indore. Since there was no basis for appeal in the High Court against this order, the sanction was issued and he was given appointment in the IAS cadre.
Investigation started after complaint
According to the government's response, Harshita Aggarwal had submitted the complaint to the Chief Secretary on April 28, 2021. It was alleged in the complaint that Santosh Verma gave false information about pending cases by submitting forged court orders and obtained IAS cadre.
After receiving the complaint, the General Administration Department handed over the case to Indore Police. In the letter sent to the Government of India, it was told that during the police investigation, the fact came to light that the alleged court order of 6 October 2020 was not actually passed. After it was found to be fake, crime number 155/2021 was registered against Santosh Verma.
Also read- Ruckus over signal breaking in Bhopal: Driver's wife consumed poison when e-rickshaw was stopped, ruckus at control room intersection
Arrest and bail status
Police arrested Santosh Verma on 10 July 2021. His bail plea was rejected at both the trial court and high court levels. After this, he got bail from the Supreme Court on 27 January 2022.
Presently criminal case number 851/2016 is pending against him in the court. No final order has been passed yet in this case.
Action will also be taken on the role of judge
During the investigation, the involvement of Judge Vijendra Singh Rawat, who passed the so-called court order, also came to light. He has been suspended after police investigation revealed his role in passing fake orders. Investigation is going on against him also.
Departmental inquiry on controversial remarks
It is noteworthy that a notice was issued to Santosh Verma for his rude remarks about Brahmin daughters in a conference in Ajax. Dissatisfied with his reply, the General Administration Department has started a departmental inquiry.
Opinion sought from central government
The state government has sent a letter to the Union Ministry of Personnel and Training giving information about the entire incident. It has been clarified in the letter that the acquittal order of 6 October 2020, on the basis of which the integrity of Santosh Verma was certified, does not exist. In such a situation, a request has been made to take a decision on the IAS appointment made by his promotion.
However, no guidance has yet been received from the Central Government in this regard. The matter is currently pending in the court and the final decision is awaited.