The Patna High Court closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking an order commanding the respondents to conduct proper investigation of financial irregularities of Block-Dumariya, District-Gaya, in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The PIL filed by one Aman Kumar also prayed that the Director, Vigilance Department, Government of Bihar, Patna may conduct a proper investigation into the relationship between the Block authority and the Bank which was involved in the illegal transaction of money.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Partha Sarthy noted that neither the Bank has been named or impleaded nor is the impleadment of officials, who are alleged to have misappropriated money, carried out in their personal capacity. The petitioner merely assumes that there has been embezzlement of money under the PMAY without any substantiation.
According to a report of the District Authority wherein nine persons are alleged to have been given benefits of the scheme, who happen to be husband and wife. An explanation has been called for, but again none of these nine persons have been impleaded here. Again it has been stated that in the financial year 2021-22, the following persons were issued with the benefits under the scheme, but the money was transferred to a different account.
The Bench opined that there are little facts available to order an enquiry and in any event, the authorities have been apprised of some irregularities. As the Bench noted, none of the persons against whom allegations are raised, have been impleaded and it is not proper for the Court to direct a roving enquiry to be conducted, also based on very scanty material.