Patna, Feb. 23: JDU national president and chief minister Nitish Kumar today suspended party MLA Mewalal Choudhary from the party after an FIR was lodged against him for alleged irregularities in appointment of assistant professors and junior scientists at Bihar Agriculture University (BAU) in Bhagalpur when he was its vice-chancellor.
On Wednesday, party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar had hinted at action against him. Murmurs of possible action began when JDU spokesperson Sanjay Singh arrived on the Assembly premises with Nitish. Emerging from the chief minister's car, Sanjay urged journalists to gather near the podium from where leaders brief the press. "Serious charges have been framed against Mewalal in a probe led by a retired high court judge," Sanjay said. "The probe team found him guilty and an FIR was lodged. We have decided to suspend him from the party with immediate effect."
The FIR against Mewalal was reportedly lodged on the directive of the governor-cum-chancellor of universities, Ram Nath Kovind, who set up the probe committee after several applicants alleged irregularities in appointments.
Justice (retd) Syed Mohammed Mahfooz Alam of Patna High Court headed the panel, which found that when Mewalal was BAU vice-chancellor in 2012, performing candidates were ignored and non-performing candidates appointed as assistant professors and junior scientists. Mewalal, also a founder member of the university, represents Tarapur in the Assembly.
"This is Nitish's regime. Anyone involved in crime won't be spared," Sanjay said.
BJP leader Sushil Modi, who had demanded Mewalal's suspension, said: "Suspending him is not enough. We demand his immediate arrest. If he is not arrested by Sunday, we will raise the issue in the House from Monday."
Mewalal was booked under sections 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine of forged document) and 120 (B) (conspiracy) of IPC.
Sanjay said that in the past, too, the party had taken action against those who have brought disgrace to the party. "You people must be aware how Nitishji had taken action against Usha Sinha and Manorama Devi. Time and again, the JDU has set examples by taking action against its own leaders if their names surfaced in any crime, scam or corruption," Sanjay said.
Former JDU MLA Usha Sinha was suspended from the party after her name surfaced in the Bihar topper scam. She is the wife of former Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and a non-FIR accused in the Intermediate scam in which her husband is a key accused. Similarly, MLC Manorama Devi was suspended from the party after liquor bottles were found at her residence. She was also charged with shielding her son Rocky Yadav, who allegedly shot dead a 20-year-old youth for overtaking his vehicle in Gaya.
