Northeast Desk, 31st May: The Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning an alleged Rs 142 crore scam under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) in Arunachal Pradesh. The PIL, numbered 13/2022, was filed by Kaku Potom, addressing allegations of corruption linked to the DDUGJY funds.
Arunachal Against Corruption (AAC), an NGO, had previously accused Chief Minister Khandu of involvement in multiple scams across various departments, including the DDUGJY. However, the High Court concluded that the PIL lacked substantial evidence to support claims of illegality in the tendering process. Furthermore, the court noted that the petitioner lacked the legal standing to file the PIL.
In his defense, Advocate Pracha pointed out discrepancies in the approval process of the Detailed Project Reports (DPR). He highlighted that the approval of the DPR was sent to the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) on October 15, 2019, while the departmental committee to approve the DPR was constituted on November 22, 2019. Pracha also mentioned that the REC had instructed over the phone to proceed with the tendering process.
While the court dismissed the PIL, Potom argued that several DDUGJY projects remain incomplete, citing personal visits to Tawang, Bomdila, and Namsai as evidence of ongoing construction and flaws in the DPR. Potom called for a third-party inquiry to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds, despite the court’s decision.
The High Court’s ruling underscores the need for solid evidence and proper standing in presenting public interest litigations, especially those involving significant financial and administrative accusations.