"This case depicts a strange situation where defalcation of huge amount of GPF involving various officials at different levels have been detected and found to be correct. In order to fix criminal responsibility, CBI is making investigation pursuant to this court's order of April 4. Unfortunately, the role of the state government and its officials is extremely unsatisfactory and it appears they are sheltering the guilty officials by virtual inaction," Justice Sudhir Agrawal said in his judgement yesterday.
The court noted with dissatisfaction that the Director of Secondary Education, had filed an affidavit on January 18, 2011, admitting that allegations of embezzlement were correct after which he was allowed further time to file a complete report.
"Since then there is nothing on record to show that anything has been done at the level of Director, Secondary Education, or any other authority."
The court also observed that on April 4, when a CBI inquiry was ordered, the "Chief Secretary and the DGP were also directed to take departmental action against erring local officials... It is reported that having received the said order, one or two police officials have been placed under suspension but thereafter nothing has concluded till date... Moreover, no compliance report has been submitted by any of the officials of state government.
"It is thus evident that senior officials of state government competent action are virtually, if not deliberately, by their total inaction, are providing shelter to defalcators. This is really strange and shameful."
Directing the aforementioned officials to appear on July 26 along with relevant documents, the court asked them "to show as to what action they have taken or why they have shown a conduct of total silence/inaction in this matter".
The order has been passed on a writ petition filed by Girdhari Lal and others who had moved the court alleging that money was fraudulently withdrawn from GPF accounts of a number of employees of educational institutions in Ramabai Nagar district and that no action had been taken against guilty officials despite an FIR having been lodged by the local police way back in 2010.
