DPS CGHS MC Obstructs Corruption Inquiry Ordered by RCS Office of Delhi Govt

DPS Cooperative Group Housing Society (DPS CGHS or DPS Housing Society), Plot No. 16, Sector 4, Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078.

While the accused MC members of DPS CGHS are openly defying the law in a number of criminal cases, now they are trying to block a corruption inquiry ordered by the RCS Office of Delhi Government.

Reported by Rakesh Raman

Case Update

• Only thieves fear the police whereas the honest welcome them.

• The managing committee (MC) members of DPS CGHS are desperately trying to evade an inquiry ordered by the Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) of the Delhi Government to investigate the “financial and other irregularities” that have been happening in the Society for years. The total money lost in corruption is estimated to be crores of rupees.

• The accused MC members even held a hurriedly called Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) on 18.02.2018 which was largely attended by a group of rogue members who are generally bribed by the MC members to get all illegal decisions approved.

• The desperation of MC members – who are facing a number of inquiries for illegal activities – is evident from the fact that they did not circulate the Minutes of the SGBM among the Society members and directly sent totally false information to the RCS office about the SGBM with a malafide intention to scuttle the planned inquiry.

• Although the MC members have indicated that the majority of members are not in favor of the inquiry, they failed to circulate among the Society members the list of members who were present in the SGBM of 18.02.2018 and the list of members who opposed or favored the inquiry. This is a total fraud and a criminal attempt to cheat the other Society members and deceive the RCS officials.

• While this is a case of “financial and other irregularities” as stated in the RCS inquiry order, even one Society member can seek financial details as the MC members are controlling members’ money. Majority is not required to accept or stop the inquiry ordered by a competent judicial authority like the RCS office.

• The attempt by the accused MC members to stop the RCS inquiry manifests that they want to hide something that can incriminate them.

• As the MC members and other rogue members, who are acting as accomplices in crime, are trying to block the RCS inquiry, it is a case of obstruction of justice for which the MC members and their supporters must be prosecuted.

• As they are refusing to reveal the details of financial misappropriation, the RCS office must also recommend for the judicial custody of the MC members of DPS CGHS and others who are supporting them.

• In order to carry out the planned inquiry, the RCS office must immediately dismiss the DPS CGHS MC and appoint an administrator in the Society.

Preamble of the Case

As there have been a number of cases of corruption and illegal activities at the DPS Housing Society, the office of the Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) of the Delhi Government has ordered an inquiry under Section 61 of the DCS Act, 2003 to investigate the “financial and other irregularities” at DPS CGHS.

The inquiry – ordered in January 2018 – is supposed to cover the entire period of the Society’s existence as the Society records show financial misappropriation and misuse of authority by the successive managing committees (MCs) that prevailed right from its inception till today.

The total amount lost in corruption (that is still continuing under the present MC members) is crores of rupees and names of more than 20 people including MC members appear in official records that show financial and other irregularities.

The present MC members have admitted that corruption / fraud has been happening at DPS CGHS. But in order to save their own skin, the present MC members are trying to obstruct the inquiry deceptively by putting the blame on previous MCs.

Since the RCS office has not removed the present MC members from office, they are still misusing their authority to thwart the investigation in order to continue their corrupt practices.

Although the inquiry is about their financial irregularities, astonishingly the accused MC members are still trying to cheat Society members by asking each of them to pay lakhs of rupees for an illegal construction project worth crores of rupees.

Obviously, the inquiry ordered by the RCS office will be meaningless if the MC members are allowed to hold office, as they are expected to tamper with the records, insert fake documents in files, influence key witnesses, threaten opposing members, and collect more money from the residents.

In order to hold the inquiry in a fair and transparent manner, the RCS office must immediately dismiss / dissolve the DPS CGHS MC and appoint an honest administrator to run the day-to-day affairs of the Society.

Highlights of the Case

1. Corruption and lawlessness have been persisting in DPS Housing Society for the past at least 15 years and continuing even today.
2. As a resident, journalist, and social activist, I have approached different government departments and top law-enforcement agencies during the past about 10 years, urging them to investigate this extreme case of DPS CGHS MC.
3. Responding positively to my representations, departments such as India’s top anti-corruption organization Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Directorate of Vigilance, Office of the Labour Commissioner, Home (Police) Department, Law Department, and the Labour Ministry of Delhi Government have intervened to catch and punish the culprits at DPS Housing Society.
4. In order to thwart my anti-corruption efforts, during the past couple of years the DPS Housing Society managing committee (MC) members have sent multiple threats to me. These include false police complaints, threats of physical harm to me, expulsion notices, legal notices, and slanderous attacks on my social as well as professional status.
5. The current MC members – who are facing a number of government-instituted corruption investigations – tried to influence the RCS office with the help of a group of other rogue residents to get me expelled from the Society because my news articles highlight the corruption at DPS Housing Society. This is an attack on my editorial freedom and my freedom of expression and speech guaranteed to me by the Constitution of India through Article 19.
6. As this was a false expulsion case against me, the MC members did not succeed in their nefarious attempt to get me expelled at RCS office. But the MC members are supposed to soon compensate me for the harassment and injury that they inflicted upon me, my profession, and my Constitutional right.
7. As they are extremely corrupt, the MC members did not inform other residents / members proactively that their proposal to get me expelled from the Society has been rejected by the RCS office through a 3-page RCS letter dated January 24, 2018.
8. The MC members are misusing their authority to use expulsion as a weapon to terrorize other members who oppose their criminal activities. Many members have already succumbed under MC’s threats.
9. Despite threats, I continued my anti-corruption efforts. In September 2017, I sent a detailed representation to Mr. J.B. Singh, Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) and his predecessor Mr. Shurbir Singh. I sent the same representation to CVC and explained “Corruption and Lawlessness” at DPS CGHS by giving specific document references and dates.
10. With its letter dated January 25, 2018, the RCS office has ordered an inquiry under Section 61 of the DCS Act, 2003 to investigate the “financial and other irregularities” at DPS CGHS.
11. Moreover, with its letter dated December 26, 2017, the RCS office has also asked the current MC members to respond to 11 different representations that I had filed in different government departments against the misdeeds of the MC members. The accused MC members could respond to only one case of labour rights violation in which they are involved.
12. However, their response is full of lies, false details, concocted documents, and wrong references to deceive the RCS office and other authorities who are coming to catch them. It appears that in order to hide one crime of labour rights abuse, the MC members are committing another fraud with their false response. I am pursuing this labour rights violation case separately with police and law-enforcement agencies to get the culprits caught and punished.
13. The current MC members have admitted that corruption and other illegal activities have been happening in the Society. But the current MC members – who themselves are facing multiple investigations – have cleverly put the blame on the old MCs and trying to obstruct investigations.
14. In a letter dated January 14, 2018, the MC members constituted a sub-committee of ordinary residents to investigate an old “case of fraud” involving Rs. 55 lakh. It is a cover-up attempt to deceive the Society members and authorities because the total corruption amount is estimated to be crores of rupees and corruption has been persisting even today under the current MC.
15. Surprisingly (as stated in the said letter dated January 14, 2018) these MC members – who are facing corruption charges – are again coercing each flat owner to pay them Rs. 2 lakh as the first instalment for an illegal construction project worth crores of rupees for which they say they have paid a building permit fee of Rs. 1.41 lakh to DDA.
16. While the illegal construction project is being pursued with the help of a fraudulently appointed architect firm, the DPS CGHS MC members have indicated that they will bribe the DDA officials and others to get approvals by using “liasioning fee” (another name for bribe) paid by some law-breaking residents in the Society.
17. As the RCS office of Delhi Government is going to start the inquiry to unearth the financial and other irregularities in DPS CGHS, it is imperative for the RCS office to dismiss the MC of the Society to hold the inquiry in a fair, unencumbered manner.

According to the new Vigilance Manual 2017 of India’s top anti-corruption organization Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), corruption is manifested in various forms such as bribery, nepotism, willful action or willful inaction to benefit someone or to deny benefit to someone known or unknown. It also states that corruption includes cases of favoritism and failure to follow laid down processes leading to unintended benefit to someone or denial of benefit to the deserving.

Details of the Case

While the illegal activities at the DPS Cooperative Group Housing Society (DPS CGHS), Plot No. 16, Sector 4, Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078 are increasing rapidly, the RCS office of the Delhi Government has ordered an inquiry under Section 61 of the DCS Act, 2003 to investigate the “financial and other irregularities” at DPS CGHS.

It is pertinent to mention here that the MC members of the DPS Housing Society are already facing a corruption inquiry directed by Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). The Directorate of Vigilance of Delhi Government – under CVC’s direction – ordered the inquiry through the Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) against the MC of the Society.

As the inquiry was stopped without giving any reason, it is believed that the MC members of DPS CGHS influenced the RCS officials to get the inquiry scuttled unscrupulously.

CVC Inquiry Letter References:

RCS: F.47/Coop./1350/GH/SW/2011/7051 dated 4.5.2011
Directorate of Vigilance: F.27/2/2011/DOV/1080 dated 15.2.2011 forwarded by CVC
CVC: O.M. No. 1716/10/8/104428 dated 01.10.2010 and O.M. No. 1716/10/8/117161 dated 24.01.2011

Although the current MC has admitted that financial frauds have been happening in the DPS Housing Society, it has blamed the old MC members for the misappropriation of funds and other felonies. But the current MC members are also responsible for corruption and illegal activities.

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Corruption and illegal activities under the current MC members: Neeraj Kumar Vaish, R. Balasubramanian, M.N. Sampathkumar, Ms. Leela Swami, Sandeep Taneja, Manguram Tyagi, Ms. Naseem Afshaque:

1. Fraudulent Appointment of Architect Firm: In order to cheat the residents and extort money from them for an illegal construction / repairs project worth about Rs. 15 crore, the current MC members hired an architect firm fraudulently without following any statutory purchase procedures. The firm was hired before releasing the advertisement for the contract. The same firm was paid “liasioning fee” (another name for bribe) worth lakhs of rupees to pay to DDA and other government departments for taking approvals. Click here for details.

2. Corruption in Car Parking: The Delhi High Court has ruled that only one car per flat will be allowed in housing society parking lots. But the DPS Housing Society MC has brazenly decided to ignore the court orders as well as the Society norms to allow about 40 members (out of a total of 90 members) to park multiple vehicles in the Society building. On average, a car parking space covers about 100 sq. ft. and the price of one car parking space is an estimated Rs. 500,000. If the current MC has allowed 40 members to park their additional vehicles under a secret deal, the corruption money in this case is estimated to be Rs. 2 crore. Click here for details.

3. Corruption in Security Contract: The current MC members illegally terminated the services of a group of security guards who were employees in the Society. It is not only a case of labour rights violation and breach of contract, but also a case of extreme corruption. After terminating the jobs of Society’s security employees, the MC members hired new security guards through a private agency without GBM approvals and without following the financial process while the security contract is worth lakhs of rupees.

As it was difficult for the MC members to take bribes from the terminated security guards who were employees in the Society, they hired a private agency fraudulently. In order to hide their crime, the MC members are now showing some concocted documents suddenly inserted in the Society records about security guards’ case. The MC members are also threatening the terminated guards who have filed a case against them in the labour court. Click here for details.

4. Society Election Fraud: The current as well as previous MCs have been offering bribes to voting members in different forms to win elections and get voting support in GBMs to show their majority. The bribes include Society’s common space worth lakhs of rupees to allow illegal car parking to some members, permission for construction alterations in some flats to increase the value of flats, cash worth lakhs of rupees from Society funds to individual members for frivolous activities, and so on.

Thus, the MC members have formed a criminal gang with the help of these corrupt voting members, and together they show their false majority in GBMs, loot public money, and threaten members who oppose their criminal activities.

So, the elections and GBMs which are based on bribes have become a total fraud and the majority argument for any decision in GBMs is invalid and baseless at DPS Housing Society. Click here for details.

5. Corruption and Connivance. The current MC members were accepting the corruption of previous MCs without making any formal legal attempt to recover the money lost in corruption. As the total money lost in corruption at DPS CGHS is estimated to be crores of rupees (as shown in the MC’s own documents), there has been a criminal nexus between different MC members to protect each other while swindling public money. It appears that MC members have been secretly sharing the booty and obstructing investigations. Click here for details.

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There are a number of other cases of financial fraud and illegal activities about which I have informed various government departments and law-enforcement agencies (including RCS office) with document references and details. The current MC members are fully involved in these criminal cases. Obviously, the new RCS inquiry is supposed to interrogate the current MC members as well as the previous MC members.

As the long arm of law is fast approaching toward them, the current MC members are sending dozens of papers to government departments to defend themselves. But their justifications and arguments are fake, false, exaggerated, and misleading. It will not be possible for the MC members to evade the law.

As they are known for their corrupt practices, the MC members are trying to change the direction of the planned RCS investigation toward some old MC members who controlled the Society more than a decade ago.

The wicked plan of the current MC members is to circumvent the RCS-ordered inquiry and grab more money from residents / members for an illegal FAR-based building extension / repairs project for which they have fraudulently hired an architect firm.

With an utter disregard to the inquiry order, the current MC members are demanding Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 9 lakh from each flat owner (total 90 flats in Society) for the illegal construction / repairs project.

It is shocking to note that on the one hand the RCS office has ordered the inquiry to know the financial irregularities at DPS Housing Society, but on the other hand the same RCS office is giving the accused MC members another opportunity to swindle public money in the construction / repairs project.

Obviously, the inquiry ordered by the RCS office is only an eyewash. The very purpose of the said inquiry gets defeated if the MC members who are facing financial inquiry are allowed to handle the DPS Housing Society funds.

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DARK STREETS

Research Report on Corruption and Lawlessness
in Delhi’s Housing Societies

Click here to read the report.

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Moreover, the DPS CGHS members who are paying money to the MC for the illegal FAR-based building extension / repairs project are, in fact, participating in the fraudulent scheme for which they may face legal consequences for abetment to crime.

The DPS Housing Society MC should release the names of such members who have paid money for this illegal activity so that the anti-corruption and law-enforcement agencies could take a suitable action against them along with the MC members and external parties.

Besides dismissing the current DPS CGHS MC, the RCS office must start legal proceedings against the members who have paid money to the MC for the illegal FAR-based building extension / repairs project. These proceedings must include their expulsion from the Society, as all of them are posing a grave threat to the peace and tranquility in the Society which are essential for a healthy living environment.

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DPS Co-op. Group Housing Society Managing Committee (MC) Members and Others to be Interrogated by the Anti-Corruption and other Law-Enforcement Agencies:

Current MC Members of DPS Housing Society:

1. President: Neeraj Kumar Vaish
2. Vice President: R. Balasubramanian
3. Secretary: M.N. Sampathkumar
4. Member: Ms. Leela Swami
5. Member: Sandeep Taneja
6. Member: Manguram Tyagi
7. Member: Ms. Naseem Afshaque

Past MC Members of DPS Housing Society:

1. President: Col M.M. Shukla (Retd.)
2. Vice President: Neeraj Kumar Vaish
3. Member: Ms. Geeta Gautam
4. Member: Ms. Leela Swami
5. Member: R.K. Saggi
6. Member: H.L. Kaul
7. Member: K.L. Narayanan

Past MC Members of DPS Housing Society against whom the government inquiry has been initiated through the RCS office and directed by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Directorate of Vigilance of Delhi Government. The MCs have still not responded to the inquiry. The MC members are:

1. President: R. Balasubramanian
2. Vice President: K.V. Varghese
3. Secretary: Neeraj Kumar Vaish
4. Treasurer: Sandeep Taneja
5. Member: Ms. Leela Swami
6. Member: Ms. Manjit Kaur
7. Member: Gaurav Kumar Sood

Important: The inquiry must particularly focus on the fact that Neeraj Kumar Vaish, R. Balasubramanian, Sandeep Taneja, M.M. Shukla, Ms. Naseem Afshaque, Ms. Leela Swami have been holding MC positions repeatedly in successive MCs. What are their specific interests to stay in the MC which controls public money worth crores of rupees?

Others in Shady Committee(s) / MCs as per the MC documents

Dalip Rozekar, Lal Singh Thakur, O.P. Khanduja, Narinder Kumar, Madhukar Akhilesh, Sunil Chopra, Rajesh Rani Khanduja, Savita Jaiswal, Kusum Kathuria, Hardesh Muddar, I.S. Bhatia, R.C. Tewari, Vinay Verma, Vipul Khullar, Ravinder Sharma, C.B. Swami, and Pritam (a worker in the Society).

The names and flat numbers of other gang members at DPS Housing Society are given in the attached document. The police and law-enforcement agencies must question their roles in the racket being run by the MCs of DPS CGHS.

Some of the people in the above list are / were working as employees with the government departments and private companies. The investigation agencies must inform their employers / government departments about their involvement in this case so that – depending on the extent of their involvement – the departmental action could be initiated against them.

More names of people and firms will surface during the interrogation of the MC members and their supporters.

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Current and Past Corruption

Meanwhile, according to the letter dated January 14, 2018, the DPS CGHS MC has constituted a sub-committee of some ordinary residents to investigate an old “case of fraud” involving Rs. 55 lakh.

The letter states that the General Body approved the suggestion of a resident Dilip Rozekar, and Vipul Khullar, Ravinder Sharma, and Madhukar Akhilesh volunteered to be the part of this sub-committee.

Along with a number of old MC members who are allegedly involved in the said fraud, the names of two external vendors (M/s. Builtwell and M/s. Reliable Transmission) have been mentioned in the MC’s letter.

It is surprising to note that instead of allowing the comprehensive probe planned by the RCS office into the financial irregularities of the DPS CGHS, these four residents / members (Dilip Rozekar, Vipul Khullar, Ravinder Sharma, and Madhukar Akhilesh) are interested only in one case of corruption worth Rs. 55 lakh which is also supposed to be covered in the RCS inquiry.

The investigation agencies must question these residents / members about their competence to hold such a financial inquiry as well as their motivation and links with the MC members to cover up the inquiry already planned by the RCS office.

The formation of this perfunctory sub-committee is a cover-up attempt by the MC to deceive the Society members as well as authorities while the total corruption amount is not just Rs. 55 lakh that is stated in MC’s letter.

Rather, the estimated amount of money lost in corruption is crores of rupees while corruption has been persisting in DPS CGHS for at least 15 years and it is happening even today under the current MC. I have separately submitted the details, document references, and dates of corruption cases at DPS CGHS in the RCS office, CVC office, and other law-enforcement agencies.

In its letter dated December 26, 2017, the RCS office had asked the current MC members to respond to 11 different representations that I have filed in different government departments against the corruption and illegal activities at DPS CGHS.

The RCS office had directed the President / Secretary of DPS CGHS to submit their response within 7 days. However, the accused MC members could respond to only one case of labour rights violation in which they are involved.

Their response is full of lies, false details, concocted documents, and wrong references to deceive the RCS office and other authorities who are coming to catch them. The MC members also threatened the poor guards who have filed a legal case against the MC members who had illegally terminated their jobs without paying them their full wages.

It appears that in order to hide one crime of labour rights abuse, the MC members are committing another fraud with their deceptive response. I am pursuing this case separately with police and law-enforcement agencies to get the culprits caught and punished.

Besides financial corruption, other illegal activities at DPS CGHS include labour rights violation, criminal intimidation, illegal car parking, arbitrary hiring of vendors without following transparent financial procedures, and secret deals with commercial companies such as Amul and Jio to allow them to set up their commercial infrastructure in the Society building.

Moreover, various documents and Society records show that corruption and lawlessness have been happening in the past as well as now under the current MC.

However, successive MCs have tried to cover up all unlawful activities and corruption under some clandestine understanding with each other. The financial records of the Society carry numerous discrepancies.

Moreover, many financial documents are either missing from the Society records or have been criminally destroyed by the MC members who have full control of the records. But the successive MC members have been accepting the account books without any objections and without any effort to get the corruption money recovered.

Now when the current MC members were issued the inquiry notice by the RCS office, they have started blaming the previous MC members and in a cover-up attempt formed the sub-committee of some random residents to investigate only a single case of corruption.

Since corruption is also happening under the current MC, the RCS inquiry under Section 61 of DCS Act, 2003 is also supposed to check the financial and other irregularities under the current MC of DPS CGHS.

As the MC members are known for their corrupt practices, it is highly likely that they will tamper with the existing documents or add fake documents in the Society records in order to mislead the inquiry officers. The MC members are also misusing the Society website to spread false propaganda and collect money from residents.

If the MC members are allowed to hold office, they are expected to influence the key witnesses including workers in the Society who can give significant leads to the inquiry officers. The inquiry exercise will go futile if the MC members are not removed from office.

Therefore, in order to ensure a fair inquiry, the RCS office must dismiss / dissolve the DPS CGHS MC immediately before starting the inquiry. The RCS office should also appoint an honest administrator to run the day-to-day affairs of the Society.

Case Objectives

1. To get an immediate stay / restraining order against the present DPS Housing Society managing committee (MC), prohibiting it from taking any decision and carrying out any work in the Society.
2. To get the present managing committee (MC) dismissed through the office of Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) of Delhi Government.
3. To get a government administrator appointed through RCS office for investigating the past and ongoing corrupt practices by the successive MCs of the Society. This should also include a Special Audit of Society’s accounts right from the inception of the Society.
4. As they are refusing to reveal the details of financial misappropriation, the RCS office must recommend for the judicial custody of the MC members of DPS CGHS and others who are supporting them.
5. To get the prosecution started and charges framed against the guilty MC members (past and present) and their internal and external accomplices under Prevention of Corruption Act, Consumer Protection Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, and other legislations which are aimed to reduce corruption and increase transparency and accountability.
6. To get the criminal MC members (past and present) and their supporters expelled from the Society as they pose a serious threat to the cooperative living and peace in the Society.
7. To investigate if there are cases of “assets disproportionate” to their known sources of income since the present and past MC members have been controlling public money worth crores of rupees. The investigation must also extend to the close relatives and / or inheritors of the present and past MC members.
8. To get the list of members who have recently paid Rs. 2 lakh or more to MC for the illegal FAR construction / repair project so that their money could be forfeited and deposited in Society funds. These members should also be treated as co-conspirators who must face charges of abetment to crime.
9. To get the investigation extended to other gang members at DPS Housing Society. Their names and flat numbers are given in the attached document. The police and law-enforcement agencies must question their roles in the racket being run by the MCs of DPS CGHS.
10. To get an inquiry instituted against the government officials who have failed to take any action in the DPS Housing Society case despite repeated complaints from the suffering residents / members and multiple directions from the higher authorities.
11. To get an inquiry instituted against the government officials from departments such as DDA and RCS who help the MC of DPS CGHS, as it is a case of complicity or connivance in crime.

Note: If it is beyond the powers of the RCS office to frame certain charges against the present and past MC members, their relatives, and / or others involved in the crimes, the RCS office should send these cases with its observations to police and other competent law-enforcement agencies.

The RCS office should also put this entire DPS CGHS case (including documents, details, and future proceedings) on its website so that other housing societies could learn from this horrific case.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He also runs a free Education and Career Counselling Center for deserving children at a poor J.J. Colony in Dwarka under his NGO – RMN Foundation.

About Me

I am a government’s National award-winning journalist and social activist. Besides working at senior editorial positions with India’s leading media companies, I had been writing an edit-page column for The Financial Express, a business newspaper of the Indian Express group.

Nowadays, for the past about 7 years, I have been running my own global news services on different subjects. I also have formed an environment-protection group called Green Group in Delhi. And I run a free Education and Career Counselling Center for deserving children at a poor J.J. Colony in Dwarka under my NGO – RMN Foundation.

I am also running an exclusive community-driven online editorial section under the banner “Clean House” to help the suffering residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice particularly in group housing societies where millions of people live.

I have created a comprehensive online information service to educate the Indian voters for the upcoming Lok Sabha election scheduled to happen in 2019.

Earlier, I had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.

Disclosure: I have written this report not only as a journalist, but also as a victim of the fraud and intimidation happening at DPS Housing Society. I am facing repeated threats from the MC members and their supporters because I have been raising my voice against corruption, lawlessness, environmental damage, and human rights violations.