Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Jan 5 (IANS) Jailed Chandigarh Municipal Corporation councillor Devinder Singh Babla of the Congress faced further trouble as police Tuesday slapped fresh charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy and forging documents.
Babla, who is also a general secretary of the Congress’ Chandigarh unit, surrendered before police Dec 28 after evading them for over four months.

According to the police, they registered a case against Babla on the complaint of Rashwinder Singh, who had applied for the post of auction recorder in the market committee but was not selected despite fulfilling all the requirements.

“In the complaint, Rashwinder has said that Babla, who was the chairman of market committee at that time, had favoured Rajesh Chauhan for this post. Rashwinder has also submitted documents procured through RTI (Right to Information), contending that Chauhan had submitted a fake graduation degree, which was a required qualification for this post,” a police official said.

Chauhan is brother of a close family friend of Babla.

Police have also booked Chauhan and other members of market committee.

Earlier, Babla was booked by the vigilance wing of Chandigarh police for alleged irregularities in allotment of sheds in the city’s grain market last year when he was chairman of the market committee. Each of the sheds was worth a few million rupees.

Babla has also been declared a proclaimed offender in a case of rioting registered against him and other Congress leaders in 1997.

He has already moved a bail plea in a local court here and its hearing is slated Jan 9.