(Representational image) (Representational image) A special CBI Magistrate Court disposed of the 2009 teacher recruitment scam case on Thursday after the complainant, Kamalpreet Kaur, filed a compromise deed against the two accused, Jolly and Hardev Singh. The CBI Magistrate Court of Iram Hassan, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC), after accepting the compromise deed, acquitted the two accused in the case. Advocate Harish Bharadwaj, defense counsel for Hardev, confirmed that the court has admitted the compromise deed. The compromise deed read, “That to maintain peace, harmony and goodwill between the parties the matter in question has been peacefully resolved and now there is no ill-will or grudge in between the parties and they will live in peace and harmony in future and have decided to put an end to the litigation.” The deed mentioned that in view of the compromise, the first party is not interested in perusing her case and as such has no objection if the second party is discharged/acquitted in the case. “Both the parties shall file an application under Section 320 of CrPC in the court of Iram Hassan, JMIC, Chandigarh, for compounding of offence,” it added. The matter pertains to the allegations revolving around the teachers’ appointment, including 273 master and mistress, 235 JBT and 28 NIT, by the Union Territory education department in 2007. A written test was conducted on July 12, 2009, and criteria for selection were not disclosed to the candidates. Allegations surfaced that jobs were being handed out for cash, which led to the registration of an FIR on the complaint of Kaur who had applied for home science teacher’s job. As per CBI investigations, Kaur had alleged that she was approached by accused Jolly and Hardev who had offered her job in lieu of Rs 4.5 lakh. They allegedly told her that they have got her phone number from the education department after the interview list was out naming Kaur. Kaur had further alleged that when she went for the interview, the same questions were asked as told by the accused persons. She had then complained to the then ADC of Chandigarh, P S Shergill, about the corruption in the recruitment. Shergill then handed over the case for investigation to the Crime Branch of Chandigarh Police. It was alleged by Kaur that middlemen, in collusion with a few senior officials of the UT Administration and department of education, were demanding illegal gratification for appointment of teachers. As per reports, the Crime Branch then laid a trap on September 5, 2009, and arrested Hardev and Jolly at Sector 30, Chandigarh. The Crime Branch team seized a list of candidates from Jolly who further disclosed the name of other UT officials in the case and a cheque of Rs 3.2 lakh and Rs 5,000 in cash given as bribe to them by Kaur. Three mobile phones, along with SIM cards, were also recovered from Jolly, besides a handset and SIM card from Hardev. The Chandigarh Police Crime Branch then submitted a chargesheet in the case in 2009 against Jolly and Hardev and the trial started. In 2012, the case was transferred to the CBI on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a petition filed by one Karamjit Singh of Chandigarh. The petitioner had stated that there was less probability of fair and transparent investigation by the UT Police. The CBI team had then registered a fresh case pertaining to the matter on May 24, 2012, and filed a chargesheet in the CBI Court in Chandigarh in 2013. Charges were framed under Section 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. In 2014, the trial started. It is also pertinent to mention during the investigation of the case, several senior officials of Chandigarh Administration were transferred after their names cropped up, but during the probe, they were given clean chit by the investigative agencies. For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App

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