President rejects Lokayukta's recommendation to sack PWD minister

President Pratibha Patil has rejected the Delhi Lokayukta's recommendation to sack Delhi's Public Works Department Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan for his alleged involvement in protecting a leading resort in a tax evasion case.

The home ministry on Wednesday conveyed the decision of the President to the Lokayukta through a letter. "The President has not accepted the findings and recommendations made by the Lokayukta against Chauhan," sources familiar with the contents of the letter said.

Lokayukta, Justice Manmohan Sarin, had in February recommended to the President to "withdraw her pleasure" for the minister to continue in office, holding him guilty of misconduct of "grave nature".

Justice Sarin's order had come in a case pertaining to Chauhan's alleged involvement in influencing a team of tax officials when they were carrying out a survey at Tivoli Garden resort in South Delhi in February last year.

The Lokayukta order had said that "the minister made a telephone call to the commissioner of trade of taxes on February 20, 2010, when a team of tax officials were carrying search and survey at the premises of Tivoli Garden resort to unearth evasion of taxes and concealment of income."

The Delhi government had earlier sent a detailed report to the union home ministry rejecting the Lokayukta's recommendation. The home ministry had asked the Delhi government to file a report on the Lokayukta's recommendation.

In his defence, Chauhan said that as a public representative he received a lots of calls from people requesting favours and he had only responded to such a call.