Delhi LG recommends action against IAS officer Udit Prakash for "misconduct" while performing official duty

New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has recommended action against IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai for indulging in "misconduct" while performing an official duty, according to officials on Wednesday.
"The LG made this recommendation to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the basis of a substantiated recommendation made by the CBI in a matter where Udit Prakash allegedly took a bribe of Rs 50 lakh for extending "undue favours" to an Executive Engineer PS Meena in Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB), by diluting punishment against him in two cases of corruption," said the LG's office.
A complaint in this regard was lodged with MHA by one JS Sharma on February 10, 2020.
Udit Prakash, who was then the Vice Chairman of DAMB allegedly let off Meena in two disproportionate asset cases; one involving Meena's son and the other involving his wife.
The officials said that the inquiry report submitted by a retired IAS officer in the first case on January 29, 2020, had recommended a "major penalty/dismissal from service" against Meena, as per the CVC guidelines.
It is also alleged that Prakash issued the "censure" in "unreasonable haste" on the last day of his posting as VC, DAMB, even as his transfer orders to DSFMC had been issued on February 24, 2021.
"Interestingly, PS Meena had also submitted his reply the same day, i.e. on February 24, 2021. Further, the punishment of censure was also not dispatched to the persons/officials to whom it was endorsed which resulted in the same not even being mentioned in the service book of PS Meena," said the officials.
They said that an inquiry was ordered by the earlier VC of DAMB in the second case of a disproportionate asset involving Meena's wife, however, it is alleged that Udit Prakash, without conducting any inquiry in this case, ordered "punishment of censure" against Meena clubbing it with the first case and noted that the "two cases were similar".
"The CBI has also recorded these deliberate lapses by Udit Prakash in a letter written to the then Chief Secretary Vijay Dev on September 15, 2021," said the officials.
According to the officials, the LG also authorized the Chief Secretary for setting aside the "punishment of censure" in these cases against Meena and ensure appropriate punishment.
"Finding these 'deliberate lapses' and 'undue favours' a fit case of corruption, the LG has recommended the MHA to take necessary action against Udit Prakash," they said. (ANI)