Gurugram, April 19 -- A city court has directed police to register an FIR against a former Haryana minister for allegedly abusing his position to divert public funds by falsely showing three individuals as residents of a house in New Colony while concealing his ownership of the property. Chief judicial magistrate Rajat Verma directed police to book Sukhbir Kataria under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation), 405 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. The court said "looking at the material placed on record and the serious nature of the allegations, the case was fit for directing the police to register an FIR. Thus, application under sections... of BNSS for registration of FIR and investigation as per the law is hereby allowed." The order came on a complaint by a Sector 12 resident alleging Kataria misused at least Rs.18 lakh in public funds between 2010-2014 by disbursing grants meant for economically weaker families to three individuals, falsely projecting them as residents of a house he owned, officers said. Police verified ownership through an electricity bill, leading the court to determine the house belonged to Kataria. The court found allegations "credible in nature" requiring detailed investigation "for elucidating the truth". It observed, "It has been alleged that all these grants were given in order to secure votes. These allegations also need to be verified." Multiple attempts by HT to contact Kataria did not elicit a response. In May 2025, another city court had ordered an FIR against Kataria for allegedly disbursing grants to ineligible individuals, including his sister....