Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi has come under scrutiny as the state vigilance court ordered the Pushkar Singh Dhami government to allow the vigilance department to file a case against him in connection with the disproportionate assets (DA).

The order from the Dehradun-based state vigilance court followed a submission by the vigilance department, which sought permission from the Dhami cabinet to proceed with a case against Joshi for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The court’s direction, issued on September 2, came during the hearing of a case filed by Dehradun-based lawyer Vikesh Negi. Negi approached the court after the state vigilance department failed to act on his complaint seeking the registration of a case against Joshi.

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“We had to approach the court in March this year after the vigilance department did not act on the complaint of disproportionate assets under Section 156(3) of the CrPC and the documentary evidence presented to them. It’s a clear case of collecting disproportionate assets against the minister, as he declared assets of Rs 9 crore in the 2022 assembly elections, which are disproportionate to his known sources of income,” Negi said.

Responding to Negi’s complaint, Special Vigilance Judge Manish Mishra sought a report from the vigilance department. In its response, the department informed the court that, according to constitutional provisions, it is mandatory to seek permission from the state cabinet to register a case against a cabinet minister.

The department said this requirement exists because the council of ministers is the supreme authority for taking action on executive matters. The vigilance department also presented the letter it sent to the council of ministers, requesting action in the matter.

Responding to the vigilance department’s submission, the vigilance judge ordered the state government to take a decision on the complaint by October 8, 2024, as the three-month deadline ends on October 7. The vigilance department’s letter was sent to the council of ministers on July 7.

It is also notable that a CBI probe is currently underway into a massive plantation scam involving the state horticulture department, which is headed by Joshi.