The Allahabad High Court has issued an injunction against the ongoing investigation into alleged financial and developmental irregularities in the village of Chandpur, Bhagatpur Tanda, involving former village head Omvati. The court’s decision came after Omvati challenged the legality of the Lokayukta’s authority to investigate her actions during her tenure.
The case began when a local resident, Bhure Singh, filed a complaint in 2020 against Omvati, accusing her of irregularities in the construction of toilets and other developmental projects in the village. Following the complaint, the Lokayukta ordered an investigation into the allegations.
Omvati’s legal challenge in the high court argued that the Lokayukta exceeded its jurisdiction by investigating a village head, which led to the submission of an affidavit by the Lokayukta affirming that it could not investigate the former village head under its current mandate. Based on this submission, Justice Chandra Kumar Rai of the Allahabad High Court ruled that the investigation against Omvati was not maintainable, effectively putting a stop to it.
Following initial investigations by district-level authorities, which found no irregularities, the Lokayukta, on June 25, 2024, ordered further investigation by officials from another district. In response, the Commissioner of Moradabad division formed a three-member committee of Sambhal district officers to conduct the investigation.
However, following the formation of this committee, Omvati filed another petition in the Allahabad High Court, which has now resulted in a temporary halt to all investigatory and enforcement actions until further orders.
