Virendra Gahwai, Bilaspur. A serious case has come to light in the High Court, where an officer appointed another person in his place as OIC (Officer in Charge) and sent him to submit the reply. Expressing displeasure over this, Advocate General Prafulla Bharat has written a letter to the Chief Secretary to take action against the concerned officials.
In fact, after the notice of the High Court, the Advocate General’s Office had called the OIC of the Water Resources Department to file its reply. When the Additional Advocate General asked for information regarding the necessary documents, this discrepancy came to light. Angered by this, Advocate General Prafulla Bharat has written a letter to the Chief Secretary asking him to take action against both the officers. Also, for making the reply claim in the AG office, now it has been asked to send only the OIC appointed by the government.
Let us tell you that Suresh Kumar Pandey, EE Water Resources Department, Tandula Division, Durg has been authorized by the state government to work as the officer in-charge in the department related matters of the High Court. The file was allotted to the concerned officer-in-charge on 25 January 2024 and thereafter, the counter-claim was prepared on 25 September 2024. On 26 September 2024, Pradeep Kumar Wasnik, EE, WRD, Korba, posing as Suresh Kumar Pandey, reached the Advocate General’s office to prepare the counter-claim. The law officers of the Advocate General’s office handed over the file to Pradeep Wasnik, mistaking him for OIC Suresh Pandey. While preparing the reply for the court, when the Additional Advocate General asked about the necessary documents and government guidelines, Pradeep Wasnik could not answer. Finally he admitted that he had reached the Advocate General’s office posing as Suresh Kumar Pandey to file the reply. Actually he is Pradeep Wasnik.
The Advocate General has said in a letter to the Chief Secretary that this is a serious mistake. This may also cause loss to the state government. Due to this fraud committed by two responsible officers, the reply could not even be filed. The AG has written that the actions of Suresh Kumar Pandey and Pradeep Wasnik, two officers of the Water Resources Department, not only amount to interference in the judicial process but also amount to fraud. Which is a punishable offense under the provisions of the Indian Justice Code-2023.