RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja, whose name figures in the PDS scam case of state civil service corporation, has shot a letter to BJP vice-president and former chief minister Raman Singh, saying that he was being victimized and harassed on the basis of a false case registered against him.
The 2003 batch IAS officer’s letter to the BJP leader comes after the former chief minister addressed a press conference on Wednesday and alleged that two tainted IAS officers, who are listed as accused in the PDS scam, were being shielded by the present Bhupesh Baghel government.
In his letter, IAS officer Anil Tuteja, who is at present posted as joint secretary and director of industries, quoted from the state legislative assembly proceedings to point out that the previous Raman Singh government had stated in the assembly that the alleged scam in state Nagarik Aapoorti Nigam (NAN)—the state civil supplies corporation—was imaginary, politically motivated and was based on rumours and there was no such scam.
He pointed out that the then-food minister had told the assembly on August 30, 2016, that the state’s PDS system is a model for the country as it is time-tested and efficient. Quoting other figures, he pointed out that NAN is a government company and its audited annual reports are tabled in the assembly every year. He said the balance sheet of 2014-15, which also includes his tenure as managing director, shows a profit of Rs 3.18 crore.
“Your government had rejected the ACB contention of causing a loss of Rs five crore through large-scale procurement of non-standard rice. On the basis of this clean chit, I had submitted several representations to your government for closing the pending case but no action was taken for unknown reasons”, the IAS officer said in his letter to the former chief minister.
“After completion of polling for the assembly elections on November 20, 2018, the ACB filed a charge sheet against me just five days before counting of votes on the basis of same charges, which the then government had described as imaginary and politically motivated”, Tuteja said in his letter.
“The ACB has neither made any seizures from my possession nor registered a case for disproportionate assets against me”, he said adding that as the then chief minister was aware that it was a false case, the then government did not place me under suspension and did not even issue a show cause notice to him. “Instead, your government gave me a certificate describing the PDS system during my tenure as excellent”, he added.
The IAS officer said he was compelled to write such a letter to put the record straight as the former chief minister has been frequently making ‘baseless’ allegations against him in connection with the alleged PDS scam. He urged the BJP leader not to accuse the present government of trying to protect and save him saying that he has already faced a lot of harassment and injustice during the last couple of years.
