Goa Lokayukta Justice PK Misra on Monday sought a detailed reply from Director of Vigilance Narayan Sawant and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Anti Corruption Bureau) Bossuet Silva on an investigation into a complaint that has been allegedly pending for over three years filed against Dattaprasad Kholkar, the Deputy Chairman of the Goa Planning Board, for alleged illegal appointment of a peon in his office.
Vigilance director Sawant and DySP (ACB) Silva on Monday submitted a status report of the investigation before the Lokayukta and the matter has been adjourned to August 3.
A complaint was filed by Adv Aires Rodrigues on March 25, 2013 alleging that Kholkar, who is also State BJP vice president, had illegally appointed Diksha Pednekar as peon in his office.
Lokayukta was informed that investigation could not be carried out as the file was untraceable and hence, a detailed written reply has been sought, it was learnt.
DySP Silva has also been directed to record the statement of the peon Diksha Pednekar within 24 hours.
Director of Planning Vikas Gaunekar, who was also present at the hearing, submitted that there were no file notings concerning the appointment.
Speaking to The Goan, DySP Silva stated, “The statement of Pednekar has already been recorded and she has refuted the allegations leveled in the complaint. But we will submit further report in the matter before Lokayukta as directed.”
In his complaint, Adv Aires Rodrigues accused Kholkar of colluding with the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to illegally appoint Diksha Pednekar as peon in his office.
Adv Rodrigues alleged that though Pednekar was appointed on June 6, 2012 as peon, she never worked in that position and never entered the Secretariat at Porvorim, where the office is housed. The peon’s duties, stated the complaint, were in fact discharged by her husband Dhananjay Pednekar who is a Panchayat member of ward No 1 of Pomburpa-Olaulim Panchayat, while, Diksha Pednekar was working as a maid in the house of an architect Indrajit Chatterji at Muddi Vaddo in Olaulim, Pomburpa.
It was pointed out that the Goa Panchayat Act does not allow a panch member to work for the government and hence this route was resorted to.
