STATE OF PUNJAB Vs. BALJIT SINGH AND ORS.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This order shall dispose of CRA-D-505-DBA-2004, CRA-D-506- DBA-2004, CRA-D-507-DBA-2004, CRA-D-508-DBA-2004, CRA-D-509- DBA-2004, CRA-D-510-DBA-2004 and CRA-D-511-DBA-2004 as all the appeals have arisen out of FIR No. 90 dated 12.07.1994 under section 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B IPC registered at Police Station Dhuri, District Sangrur wherein seven separate challans were presented and the learned Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Dhuri, namely, the trial Court has acquitted the accused in all the cases giving rise to this batch of appeals. The facts are taken from the lead case i.e. CRA-D-505-DBA-2004.

(2.) The Chairman of Malwa Gramin Bank visited the Branch of the said Bank at village Bhalwan on 09.02.1994 and found that 7 loan cases sponsored by the Schedule Caste Corporation, Sangrur were adjusted within a period of six months from the date of disbursement of the loan amount. The Management of the Bank was asked to scrutinize the relevant documents whereupon it emerged out that (i) the applications sent by the Scheduled Caste and Land Development Corporation neither bore yellow card number nor any attestation by Sarpanch or Namberdar of the village on the back of the applications thus necessary columns of the applications were left blank; (ii) the officials of the Scheduled Caste and Land Development Corporation did not make verification and the applications were sponsored in respect of the persons who were not in fact residents of village Bhalwan; (iii) the subsidy in these cases was sent to the branch at Bhalwan without verifying the necessary facts and it appears that the loans were disbursed in connivance with the officials of the Corporation and of the Bank just to misappropriate the subsidy amount; and (iv) all the facts in respect of these loan cases were not ascertained and loans were disbursed in an irregular manner.

(3.) The matter was referred to the police authorities who then lodged the FIR in question and started investigation in the matter.