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Sahay
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Ranchi, April 2: The lokayukta has sought a CBI probe into the events of last week that led to the cancellation of the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, echoing a demand that has already been voiced by political rivals JVM and the BJP.
Justice (retd) Amareshwar Sahay said the prestige of the state was at stake following the startling revelations of huge misuse of money power in the elections for the Upper House.
“So, the state government should order a probe by the CBI or any other independent agency in order to redeem the image of Jharkhand which is at its nadir because of a series of scandals,” Sahay told The Telegraph.
While JVM chief Babulal Marandi wrote a letter to the CBI seeking a CBI probe on March 31, the day after Rs 2.15 crore was seized from a car linked to an Independent nominee, senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Yashwant Sinha have also voiced a similar demand.
The lokayukta said moneybags who got elected to the Rajya Sabha never thought about the state’s interests. “They are there to serve their own interests,” he maintained, adding that this growing trend of money power influencing politics was not good for the country.
He said the state police would not be able to make much of a headway in the probe as several influential persons were involved. “An independent probe will also give an opportunity to politicians who want to come clean on the shady deal and ensure punishment for those who are really guilty,” he said.
The public ombudsman said the lokayukta’s office was empowered to step in and look into the cash-for-vote scandal, but it couldn’t now as other agencies were handling the case. “We cannot run a parallel investigation,” he pointed out.
Sahay, a former Jharkhand High Court judge, said the Election Commission’s powers to order a CBI probe in such cases would have to be examined, but the EC could very well recommend that the Centre investigate the criminality involved in the transaction of huge amounts of money during the elections.
On rising corruption in the country, Sahay said it was a consequence of the nexus between bureaucrats, politics and criminals.
SHAHS QUESTIONED
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The car in which the money was found |
April 2: Income tax officials interrogated Soumitra Shah and his father R.K. Shah, the proprietors of Shah Sponge and Power Private Ltd, in Jamshedpur for seven hours on Monday in connection with the cash stash that led to the cancellation of the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand.
Soumitra, who is the son-in-law of Independent Rajya Sabha candidate R.K. Agrawal, is among three named in the FIR lodged by the Namkum police station in Ranchi on the seizure of Rs 2.15 crore from an SUV on March 30, the day of voting.
According to sources in the income tax department, the Shahs were evasive to most of the questions put to them regarding the source of funds. Both father and son maintained the cash was meant to be part payment for a land deal they hand entered into with a Ranchi resident.
The also sources added that the tax authorities had established that the Rs 2.15 crore seized that day had been withdrawn in parts after March 20 from various banks, including Axis Bank (Rangpur, Odisha) and SBI (Jamshedpur).
OUR BUREAU
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