Orissa High Court: A Division Bench of Mohammed Rafiq and B. R. Sarangi, JJ., dismissed the petition and vacated the interim order.
The facts of the case are such that the petitioner is a private limited company, registered under Companies Act was awarded the work “Construction of HL bridge over river Suktel on Tamian to Mundalsar road in the district of Bolangir under Biju Setu Yojana” vide agreement dated 26-02-2014 and the completion date was fixed to 25-02-2016 but it was completed before scheduled dated and handed over on 07-09-2015. Once the work completed and it was open for public transportation few horizontal cracks were to be seen and while the petitioner company was called for restoration work, the nationwide lockdown was announced and due to it being left unattended in the middle of the work, ‘span’ collapsed killing and injuring two persons respectively. Consequently, the petitioner was blacklisted and charged under various sections of the Penal Code, 1860 which stands challenged and pending adjudication. However, now Lokayukta has registered suo motu case against the petitioners and observed that a recently constructed bridge was collapsed resulting in death of two labourers and demanded a fair enquiry to be submitted exercising its power under Section 20(6) of the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014, and directed to file status report of the same within a period of three months from the date of passing of the order. Hence the instant application was filed challenging the order of Lokayukta.
Counsel for the petitioner submitted that as there are petitions pending adjudication before Court and the petitioner is also facing criminal charges, Lokayukta also causing an enquiry is prejudicial to the interest of the petitioner and the order passed is without complying the principles of natural justice and, thereby, the said order cannot sustain in the eye of law.
Counsel for the respondent the Lokayukta has only directed for investigation by the Vigilance authority, which is within the complete domain of the Lokayukta under Section 20(6) of the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014. If the Lokayukta has been empowered under the statute to issue such direction for investigation, the same should not be interfered with by this Court by passing an interim order and seeks that such interim order should be vacated and allow the Lokayukta to proceed with the matter in accordance with the law.
The Court observed that even though the order of blacklisting the contractor has been challenged before this Court and the matter is pending adjudication, and the contractor himself is facing criminal case lodged against it for such negligence in the work, but that ipso facto cannot disentitle the Lokayukta to cause an enquiry under the provisions of the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014 for alleged corruption in the matter of execution of the work itself.
The Court held that if the direction has been given to find out the lapses caused on the part of the government servant and such direction has been issued under Section 20(6) of the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014, this Court does not find any illegality or irregularity by issuing such direction by the Lokayukta.
In view of the above, petition is not entertained and accordingly dismissed.[Ram Kumar Agrawal Engineers (P) Ltd. v. Odisha Lokayukta, 2020 SCC OnLine Ori 774, decided on 16-10-2020]
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