| Hang Mr Viresh!
I present a live example of how a person can get branded as being "tainted" despite a possibility of his being innocent. The case relates to Mr Viresh Kumar Singh, an IIT Kanpur Alumnus of 1988 batch, who like many of his friends tried the Civil Services Exams, somehow could not get through it and finally found himself in State service as District Audit Officer.
As the Finance Officer of the Garhwal University, Mr Singh got arrested by the Uttaranchal Vigilance Establishment for demanding Rs. 15,000 and finally taking Rs. 5000 from a contractor whose bill of Rs. 20,000 was to be sanctioned by Sri Singh. This happened in 2007, he spent 28 days in prison, a Charge sheet has already been filed against him in the Court and he is under suspension for the last four years.
Yet when Sri Viresh Singh paid a casual visit to me yesterday and we had a long chat over his problem, where he showed me a lot of legal and official documents, somehow I was forced to accept once more that truth is not always as simple as it apparently looks.
Though the Vigilance FIR says that Sri Singh got arrested while taking money in his office, as per his version what had happened was that the contractor had come to his office after getting the check sanctioned and had placed some money on his table. Mr Singh had immediately asked the contractor to take back the money, which he complied as the Registrar of the University, who was himself a relative of the contractor and was luckily present there, directed the contractor to comply with Mr Singh's word.
Mr Singh told me that when he came out of his office and reached his car, the same contractor came to him again, suddenly took some money and almost thrust it in his pocket. Taken unaware, Mr Singh took the money from his pocket but by that time, Vigilance team was around. Since all the scientific evidence was against Mr Singh, he was under arrest and was sent to jail.
The version of the Vigilance Department that Mr Singh was arrested from his office must be correct and will be treated so, as long as the final decision is not delivered by the designated Court, but Mr Singh did show me a letter that the same Registrar had written to the VC of the University where he had narrated facts almost in the same manner as Mr Singh had told me. Thus a possibility remains that the Registrar, despite being at loggerheads with Mr Singh among other reasons because Mr Singh had previously rejected his relative contractor's big proposals, yet wrote something that favoured him, because it was the voice of his conscience. Another fact that Mr Singh showed me was that the two University staff, shown by the Vigilance team, to be present on the spot, later gave Affidavits denying the incidence.
Since the case in under trail, hence commenting upon it would be completely unwarranted. Similarly, forming a final opinion would be equally injurious on my part. My purpose of writing his incidence is not to narrate Mr Singh's case or to defend him as such but to raise a few fundamental issues through it- 1. Is it always that whatever we hear or see apparently or though media is correct? Sri Singh must have been condemned as being an accused, but what if the letter of the Registrar is true? Thus, my personal opinion is that we, as human beings, shall always be conscious of the fact that there can be unraveled truth in every story 2. Before condemning a person in our Mind's court, would it not be proper to go a bit deeper in the concerned matter? If that is not possible, due to our limited resources and circumstances, does it not befit us that we avoid any final opinion? 3. These days we are passing through a very strong wave of Anti-corruption mood. We all want corruption to get eliminated from our country. It must be so, but should this mean that we get lured towards any such Act or laws which is unidirectional and starts with pre-conceived notions? Would anyone of us relish it if there was some innocent Mr Viresh who got hanged because the Act seems to perceive things with a particular slant? 4. If we suppose for a moment that Mr Singh's version is correct, is it then not a lesson for us all that we shall not only be honest but shall also be very conscious and alert about this? This is because many of the honest people have such enemies lurching around who might take an extra mile to get such person implicated through fast and cunning measures. How one can do it is for every such person to decide. But proper precaution and alertness to such circumstances seems to be more important for those who are honest and law-abiding.
This is an issue that possibly concerns all and hence I take the liberty of presenting it before this august group
Amitabh,
President, NRF/
President, IRDS,
# 94155-34526 | 
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