ACB’s bid to conceal names of JKMSCL’s accused officers in FIR raises eyebrows
Anti-Corruption Bureau’s bid to conceal the names of the accused officers of Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) in the FIR vide No. 2/ 2022 registered in Police Station Anti-Corruption Bureau Central, J&K Jammu has put the credibility of the investigation agency under the lens.
Sharing the details a judicial officer said that the ACB mentioned the name of the company running in the name and style of M/s Confident Dental Private Limited in the very FIR, but it prefers mum over the accused government officers involved in the scan who have left the dent of Rs.2.52 Cr on state exchequer. He said that the ACB also made similar bid in another FIR vide No 3/2022 lodged against JKMSCL.
“The submissions and commissions on the part of officer / officials of Health and Medical Education Department JKMSCL, M/s Confident Dental Private Limited, and others constitute offenses punishable under Section 5(1)(c)(d) r/w Section 5(2) of J&K PC Act 2006 and Section 120 — B RPC consequently, case FIR No. 2/ 2022 is registered in Police Station Anti Corruption Bureau Central, J&K Jammu”, he quoted the content of the FIR.
He further said that without mentioning the names of the accused government officers the content of the FIR further read as , “The officers and officials of Health and Medical Education Department and the JKMSCL under a well-knit conspiracy with proprietors of M/s Confident Dental Private Limited dishonestly and fraudulently for their ulterior motives, first delayed the tendering process and later on procured medical equipment including 163 dental chairs worth crores by setting aside the tendering process, thus conferred benefit upon M/s Confident Dental Private Limited and then with consequent loss to state exchange”.
Pertinently the Anti-Corruption Bureau started the probe in the case after it was reported to it that Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) made procurement of various items / medical equipment including dental chairs in the year 2017 at exorbitant rates in violation of the standard procurement procedure financial code and other rules thereby favoring a particular firm namely M/s Confident Dental Private Limited by setting aside the tendering process and on expired rate contracts causing loss to the state exchequer etc.
During probe ACB found out that the tendering committee selectively opened financial bids for a few items while having some including Dental chairs for their extraneous interest. The opening of financial bids of dental chairs and some other items was deliberately and subsequently, in gross violation of the providing financial norms/standards supply order for procurement of 163 dental chairs and the medical equipment was given to M/s Confident Dental Private Limited which was not on the basis of expired rate contract of Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited leaving the tender process midway.
It also found that 163 dental chairs were procured by JKMSCL from M/s Confident Dental Equipment Private Limited at a highly exorbitant rate of Rs.2,96,449 per chair while as the other bidders namely M/s Suez Dental Limited and Unicorn Den Mast Limited has quoted rates for the same item at the rate Rs.1,42000 and Rs.2,65000 per chair respectively the loss occurred to the state exchequer on the purchase of 163 dental chairs only from M/s Confident Dental Private Limited has been found Rs.2, 51,75,187.
