Departments delaying prosecution sanctions coal syndicate in Assam

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Dispur has been maintaining that it is not going to compromise on the alleged coal syndicate in the State. However, the ground reality remains that the CID which has been investigating the alleged coal syndicate continues to get hindrances to conclude its investigation, seemingly due to lack of support from the departments concerned.

The State government entrusted the CID to investigate the allegation of coal syndicate in 2018. The government also formed a high-level committee to monitor the alleged coal syndicate last year.

After its investigation, the CID did prepare charge-sheets against 11 officials of the departments of Transportation, Taxation and the civil administration. In order to submit the charge-sheets against the 11 accused officials to the court, the CID sought prosecution sanctions against the accused from the government. Almost one year has elapsed but the prosecution sanctions against the accused are not forth coming from the departments concerned. Why are the departments concerned not issuing the prosecution sanctions? The entire issue is shrouded with mystery. Prosecution sanction from the department concerned is mandatory for filing charge-sheet against any government official.

According to sources, the prosecution sanction against one of the accused was issued recently but not in the proper way, and that has led the CID to seek a fresh prosecution sanction from the department against the accused.

The alleged coal syndicate is a hotly debated issue inside the State Assembly and outside it. The Opposition says that coal syndicate is very much active in the State. Now the moot question is: why doesn’t the government see as to why the departments concerned haven’t issued prosecution sanctions against the 11 accused for such a long time? It seems that a lobby is out to protect the accused officials in the alleged coal syndicate in the State by blocking the issuance of prosecution sanctions against them?

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