Liquor scam: SET will miss deadline, extension likely

CHANDIGARH: The Special Enquiry Team (SET), constituted to probe the liquor scam involving misappropriation of huge quantities of liquor from the godown of excise department in Sonipat and other districts, is set to miss the deadline, as one of its members, Subhash Yadav, an IPS officer, retired on Friday. The government is likely to give the committee an extension to have Yadav’s replacement.
Constituted by the Haryana government, the committee had three members — T C Gupta, additional chief secretary (power), its chairman, and Subhash Yadav and a senior officer of the excise department as co-members.
The committee was supposed to submit its report by May 31, when Yadav was also due to retire. But, the day being a Sunday, Friday was his last working day. There were also rumours of him getting an extension, but senior officials in the home and police departments said otherwise.
“We shall certainly share the details (of scam) as and when available. Now, this issue is with the government and we shall speak only after the report is submitted,” said home minister Anil Vij.
A senior official said, “The committee shall have another officer who will be picked up by the government. The committee has sought lots of information related to the probe from the police department also, so it will get an extension. State has power to give extension for three months.’’
SET chief Gupta, however, expressed his inability to make any comments in this regard.
As on now, the SET has twice visited the site of godown in Kharkhoda town of Sonipat and the Sonipat office of excise and taxation department. More than 9,000 cases of liquor had gone missing from the Sonipat godown during the lockdown.
The SIT constituted by Rohtak range police, has so far arrested Bhupinder, the kingpin, his associates Satish and ASI Jaipal Singh of Kharkhoda police station. Former SHO Jasbir Singh has already been sacked.