Arrest warrant issued against two ex-sarpanchs for embezzling devpt funds
22 May 2025 12:12:02
Court of CEO District Panchayat hearing the case of misappropriation of funds.
Staff Reporter :
Court-Designated Authority and CEO of District Panchayat have issued arrest warrants under Section 92 of the Madhya Pradesh Panchayati Raj and Gram Swaraj Act against two former sarpanches found guilty of embezzling funds approved for development works. One of them has already been arrested and sent to the Central Jail, Jabalpur. According to information received from the District Panchayat office, 45 cases registered under Section 92 were heard over the past two months. Out of these, a recovery of Rs 10.30 lakh was deposited in 15 cases, and construction works
including CC roads, additional rooms, plantations, and check dams amounting to Rs 13.17 lakh were completed in 8 cases.
Notices have been issued to defaulters in the remaining cases for recovery.
A case under Section 92 was registered against Sant Kumar Chaudhary, former Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Gauri under Janpad Panchayat Kundeshwardham, for embezzling Rs 4.71 lakh. The amount included Rs 58,000 for building repairs, Rs 2.60 lakh for drain construction, and Rs 1.53 lakh for a boundary wall. During his tenure, Chaudhary transferred the sanctioned funds into his personal account. Despite being given the opportunity to repay the amount, he failed to do so within the stipulated time, resulting in his arrest and subsequent imprisonment on May 20.
Similarly, an arrest warrant has also been issued against Ramcharan Barman, former Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Paudikala under Janpad Panchayat Patan. He is accused of misappropriating Rs 20,000 allocated for a primary school in Paudikhurd.
The authority had previously issued a recovery order and scheduled the next hearing for May 20. However, Barman failed to appear or deposit the recovery amount despite being notified. His continued absence led to the issuance of an arrest warrant.
The district administration continues to take stringent actions against such financial irregularities to ensure accountability and proper utilisation of public funds.