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Chikki scam; Why no offense has been filed yet? High Court questions state government
MUMBAI: The Mumbai High Court on Thursday asked the state government why no case has been registered against the suppliers in connection with the scam of procurement of Chikki and other materials provided to Anganwadi children in the state through nutrition. That is the question. FDA officials are busy filing lawsuits against firms and ice. But why aren't criminal cases being filed here on serious issues related to children's diet? The High Court adjourned the hearing for three weeks.
Some public interest litigation has been filed in the High Court in 2015 to probe the alleged Chikki scam. In it, the then Minister for Women and Child Development, Pankaja Munde, was accused of illegally awarding contracts to certain contractors for the supply of chikki, nutritious food and other items. It was also alleged that the tender process was not followed while awarding the contract.
Several months later, a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni heard the petitions on Thursday. The children were then given inferior quality chikki. For this, contracts worth Rs 24 crore were awarded in violation of the rules. The petitioners also pointed out to the High Court that soil and sand were found in the samples after the samples were given for testing in the laboratory.
So are these contracts awarded against or in violation of the State Government Ordinance (GR)? That was the question asked by the High Court. An ordinance in this regard was issued in 1992. Accordingly, provision was made to carry out a procedure while concluding any agreement, the petitioners said. The High Court clarified that whether all the criteria were followed while concluding the agreement, as well as whether the agreements in this case could be termed as illegal, if the supplier was ineligible, it should be investigated and only then the question of substandard product could be addressed. So, have there been charges of violating the Food Safety Act (FDA)? That was the question asked by the High Court. The High Court expressed its displeasure after receiving a negative response from the state government.
MUMBAI: The Mumbai High Court on Thursday asked the state government why no case has been registered against the suppliers in connection with the scam of procurement of Chikki and other materials provided to Anganwadi children in the state through nutrition. That is the question. FDA officials are busy filing lawsuits against firms and ice. But why aren't criminal cases being filed here on serious issues related to children's diet? The High Court adjourned the hearing for three weeks.
Some public interest litigation has been filed in the High Court in 2015 to probe the alleged Chikki scam. In it, the then Minister for Women and Child Development, Pankaja Munde, was accused of illegally awarding contracts to certain contractors for the supply of chikki, nutritious food and other items. It was also alleged that the tender process was not followed while awarding the contract.
Several months later, a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni heard the petitions on Thursday. The children were then given inferior quality chikki. For this, contracts worth Rs 24 crore were awarded in violation of the rules. The petitioners also pointed out to the High Court that soil and sand were found in the samples after the samples were given for testing in the laboratory.
So are these contracts awarded against or in violation of the State Government Ordinance (GR)? That was the question asked by the High Court. An ordinance in this regard was issued in 1992. Accordingly, provision was made to carry out a procedure while concluding any agreement, the petitioners said. The High Court clarified that whether all the criteria were followed while concluding the agreement, as well as whether the agreements in this case could be termed as illegal, if the supplier was ineligible, it should be investigated and only then the question of substandard product could be addressed. So, have there been charges of violating the Food Safety Act (FDA)? That was the question asked by the High Court. The High Court expressed its displeasure after receiving a negative response from the state government.
Some public interest litigation has been filed in the High Court in 2015 to probe the alleged Chikki scam. In it, the then Minister for Women and Child Development, Pankaja Munde, was accused of illegally awarding contracts to certain contractors for the supply of chikki, nutritious food and other items. It was also alleged that the tender process was not followed while awarding the contract.
Several months later, a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni heard the petitions on Thursday. The children were then given inferior quality chikki. For this, contracts worth Rs 24 crore were awarded in violation of the rules. The petitioners also pointed out to the High Court that soil and sand were found in the samples after the samples were given for testing in the laboratory.
So are these contracts awarded against or in violation of the State Government Ordinance (GR)? That was the question asked by the High Court. An ordinance in this regard was issued in 1992. Accordingly, provision was made to carry out a procedure while concluding any agreement, the petitioners said. The High Court clarified that whether all the criteria were followed while concluding the agreement, as well as whether the agreements in this case could be termed as illegal, if the supplier was ineligible, it should be investigated and only then the question of substandard product could be addressed. So, have there been charges of violating the Food Safety Act (FDA)? That was the question asked by the High Court. The High Court expressed its displeasure after receiving a negative response from the state government.
