CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an alleged fraud relating to the establishment of petrol bunks in Chennai on the basis of forged No Objection Certificates (NOCs).
In a Public Interest Litigation filed by VBR Menon before the Madras High Court, it was stated that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the police is mandatory for establishing petrol bunks. However, fake NOCs were allegedly fabricated and submitted to oil companies to obtain licences for setting up new petrol bunks at several places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Following this fraud, based on the High Court's directions, the CBCID police registered a case and conducted an investigation. A charge sheet was filed only against four persons who had supplied the fake NOCs. However, the petitioner alleged that no legal action had been taken against those who played a key role in the scam.
Hence, the petitioner sought transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The case came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan. The CBCID submitted that appropriate action had been taken and that the investigation was conducted fairly.
However, the petitioner alleged that in Chennai alone, 72 petrol bunks had been established using forged NOCs and that the police were shielding the real culprits.
The Bench transferred the Chennai cases to the CBI, while permitting the CBCID to continue investigation in respect of cases in Dindigul, Erode and other districts where action had already been initiated.
The Additional Director General of Police, CBCID, shall handover the entire papers relating to the investigation conducted so far to the appropriate authority as may be deputed by the CBI director