Though most of these cheques, worth Rs 50,000 each, date back to June 15, there is likelihood that these were disbursed after the election schedule was announced on July 11. Though ADC (Development) Jagwant Singh Brar vehemently denies this, sources at the Punjab National Bank's Roopnagar branch, through which the cheques are routed, revealed that a number of cheques were given for clearance much after July 11. These include a cheque issued in favour of the Kalitran Gram Panchayat, that landed at the PNB branch on August 27 for clearance.

Though distribution of cheques after the announcement of the poll schedule amounts to a violation of the model code of conduct, ADC Brar said these cheques were issued on June 15 and subsequently sent to the Block Development officers without delay. "These are not backdated cheques as being construed in several quarters," he added, blaming the village sarpanches for the delay in depositing these. Though he did not rule out the possibility of connivance of the BDOs with ruling party MLAs, he assured to look into the inordinate delay in presentation of these cheques to fix responsibility.

Brar made it clear that grants cannot be disbursed once the poll schedule is announced, but sought to clarify that they would be helpless if at all the sarpanches have delayed the presentation of these cheques, which remain valid for six months.

Examination of the PNB ledgers of account number 29,481 -- allotted to the ADC (Development) -- revealed that the payments are still being cleared in favour of villages falling under the Ropar and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituencies. Confirming that the transaction continues between the villages and the bank, PNB branch Senior Manager J.V. Singh said not much could be done as the life of a cheque lasts for six months, which means the sarpanches can deposit these even after July 11.

Meanwhile, inquiries made at several villages revealed that the cheques of some other banks were also distributed through the "ruling party activists" after the announcement of the poll schedule. A case in point is that of Desumajra, where sarpanch Himmat Singh claimed having received a backdated cheque worth Rs 75,000 on the intervening night of July 18 and 19 by a ruling party activist, for the construction and repair of a dharamshala.

As Desumajra falls within the Kharar municipal limits, Himmat Singh remembers having deposited the cheque with the Executive Officer on July 25. He also remembered having attended a function at Ballomajra village, where a cheque worth Rs 50,000 was handed over to the sarpanch in the last week of July.

Rulda Singh, a panch of Jhoorheri village, also remembers having received a cheque by the ruling party activists in the last week of July.

District Planning Board Chairman Upinderjit Kaur, who is also the Technical Education Minister, had earlier offered to verify the facts, but denied the violation of the model code of conduct by way of distributing backdated cheques. Terming these claims as ``wild allegations'', she blamed the villagers for the delay in depositing the cheques.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Kulbir Singh Sidhu said these cheques may have been presented later by the sarpanches, but were issued in the month of June. Denying violation of the code of conduct, Sidhu said there is nothing unusual about cheques being honoured at this stage as in normal course also sarpanches delay presentation of the instrument.