The Patna High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) preferred by the petitioner for enquiry into the financial irregularity committed in Ore Panchayat in the Ramgadh Chowk Block in the District of Lakhisarai under MGNREGA Scheme for the financial year 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 for which it is alleged, they have drawn money without the work having been performed.
The petitioner claims that Rs. 214.51 lakhs have been spent under MGNREGA Scheme for the year 2022- 23 while even for the year 2023-24, the total amount of Rs. 463.74 lakhs amount having been withdrawn allegedly showing work by the officials including the ‘Mukhiya’, the Panchayat Rojgar Sewak, the Block Programme Officer as also the Technical Officer. None of these officers, except the ‘Mukhiya’ has been impleaded in their personal capacity in the writ petition; which is necessary in the nature of the allegations raised.
The petitioner alleged that no work has been performed in the said Gram Panchayat Ore and he has the document to prove the same.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Rajiv Roy fails to understand why the petitioner has approached the Patna High Court under Public Interest Litigation for a direction upon the concerned authority to act against the officials in the Gram Panchayat Ore for the embezzlement of amount.
The State is fully equipped to check the said irregularity and take the concerned officials under its net. In other words, the State Vigilance Department is fully functional, any person armed with documents can approach the Department alongwith its affidavit and the machinery will automatically start rolling , held by the High Court