Margao 13/11/24 : In a shocking turn of events following the recent job scam, Senior Congress leader and AICC member Girish Chodankar has raised serious allegations against former State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC), Shri Prashant S.P. Tendulkar. Chodankar has filed a formal complaint with Chief Secretary Dr. V. Candavelou, IAS, accusing Tendulkar of falsely claiming pension benefits under the Supreme Court Judges Act and gratuity that he is not entitled to.
Chodankar is demanding a review of the Judgment in WP/433/2021, asserting that the Finance Secretary and Director of Accounts, as custodians of the public treasury, failed to ascertain the correct facts from the Administrative Tribunal. He argues that the government should have directed the Advocate General to file a review with the High Court, given that Tendulkar, appointed as Additional President of the Goa State Administrative Tribunal on September 20, 2013, only served for one year and five months before retiring on February 28, 2015. According to Chodankar, Tendulkar was not receiving any pension prior to his appointment as SCIC, and those who joined government service after January 1, 2004, fall under the New Pension Scheme, which does not entitle them to a pension or family pension.
“Shri Prashant S.P. Tendulkar, being an advocate and an officer of the court, should not have taken the court for a ride through deception and misrepresentation of facts,” Chodankar stated. He emphasized that if Tendolkar was indeed receiving a pension from his previous government service, it should have been deducted from his salary as SCIC, which was evidently not the case. Chodankar also recalled how Tendolkar had previously abused his position by using a red beacon car during his tenure as SCIC, only to remove it after public outcry.
Three months have passed since the judgment, and Chodankar expressed concern over the government’s inaction regarding filing a review in the High Court or an appeal in the Supreme Court. He insisted that any inadvertent mistakes or errors apparent on the record must be corrected through a review. Citing Article 226 of the Constitution of India, he noted that the High Court has the authority to review its own judgments based on new and important evidence.
Chodankar lamented the ongoing corruption under the current government, stating, “Scam after scam is being unearthed, and yet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant remains silent. The CAG has pointed out several lapses, and no one seems to care. Can we allow the public exchequer to be looted in this manner?” He warned that if no action is taken regarding this pension fraud involving crores of rupees, he would be compelled to take further steps in the matter for the public interest.
He further accused the BJP government of misleading the courts to exploit the government treasury, urging courts to exercise caution when dealing with matters involving financial liabilities. “Similar tactics were used to grant permissions to casinos, only for the government to claim it was per court order,” Chodankar concluded.