HC guidelines for CGHS allotment process

Spelling out the modalities, Delhi High Court on Monday set the ball rolling for the process of allotment of flats in 57 scam affected cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) in the capital — a step likely to take a few months and bring relief to 8000 families. 

Issuing the guidelines for the allotment process, a division bench of justices Manmohan Sarin and Veena Birbal also appointed a new committee headed by retired justice R C Chopra, whose task will be to grant final approval to recommendations submitted by the office of Registrar of Co-operative Societies and CBI. 

The societies are those where construction is complete and flats are ready for allotment. HC has asked CBI and RCS to forward their recommendation for grant of membership to justice Chopra committee, which will then approve flat allotment. The committee also comprises of a CBI DIG, A K Malhotra and G S Meena, an additional secretary from Land and Building Department. 

by the Registrar office. At the time of verification, an authorised person of the concerned society shall be present, the Bench said in a judgement. In its detailed order, HC added the justice

Chopra committee would scrutinise the report by RCS and then ask DDA to take out its draw of lots. The societies were also directed to publish the proposals regarding the clearance of membership for allotment of flats by draw of lots as approved by the Registrar, in addition to submit a revised proposal, if any, a month after the publication. 

‘‘The committee shall submit its report regarding approval, rejection, modification, remission or rejection of the report by RCS within two months of receiving the recommendations,’’ HC bench observed. 

CBI had registered FIRs against senior RCS officer for allegedly manipulating membership lists of some existing housing societies and registering new societies in fake names in connivance with alleged middleman, S P Saxena, and some other government officials. After the probe, the CBI found no discrepancies in the records related to 58 societies and gave a clean chit to them. Following CBI’s report, the Court directed it to start the process for allotment of flats in these societies. 

Knowing that the RCS office inspired little confidence amongst the petitioners due to involvement of its former officials in the CGHS scam, HC said this can’t be ‘‘the ground not to utilize the available talent and expertise with RCS and its staff for verification’’ and created a supervisory body for justice Chopra’s committee.