Shillong, Nov 17: The chairperson of Lokayukta, B Dhar, said that the complainant can file a review petition on vehicle scam issue as per law instead of writing a letter to him which amounts to contempt.
When asked about the reason for rejection of the complaint by AITC national spokesperson Saket Gokhale, Dhar said that it was based on the CrPC since the complainant was absent on November 15.
On November 16, Gokhale wrote a letter to the Lokayukta for review of the decision to reject the complaint.
Tainted police official GK Iangrai and former DGP R Chandranathan were to appear before the Lokayukta on November 15.
In the letter addressed to the Lokayukta chief, Gokhale said Lokayukta had fixed November 15. as the date of hearing the maintainability of the complaint.
“Despite having informed the Lokayukta that the complainant won’t be available in person, a video-conference link was never sent to the complainant nor the witnesses”, Gokhale said.
Even in judicial proceedings, including those in the court as well as the Supreme Court of India, parties are given the option of attending proceedings through video conference, he said.
“It is, therefore, bizarre that the complainant and witnesses were given no such option by the Lokayukta”, Gokhale said.
According to Gokhale, one of the named accused in the complaint Iangrai has already been arrested. Therefore, the maintainability of the complaint is crystal clear. Moreover, Iangrai’s lawyer has briefed the media saying that the complaint has been dismissed which is shocking if true because the Meghalaya Lokayukta has issued orders ex-parte without hearing the complainant or the witnesses or providing them a convenient way of doing so.
“This letter, therefore, seeks your kind clarification on the status of the case and again humbly prays that the complainant and the witnesses be given their due opportunity and right to record their statement via video conferencing on a date decided by the Lokayukta before making a decision on the present complaint”, he said.
Under principles of natural justice, every attempt needs to be made in good faith to allow complainants and witnesses to depose in a matter of such seriousness and it cannot be decided ex-parte without the complainant and witnesses being given the opportunity to lay down their statements, the AITC leader said.
“Therefore, it is humbly requested and prayed that the complainant and the witnesses in the aforementioned matter be issued a date to record their statements via video conference before a decision is made or an order is passed by the Lokayukta”, Gokhale added.
