The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday summoned the Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav as a witness for questioning in an illegal mining case, five years after the case was filed.
The investigative agency has issued a notice under section 160 of the CrPC, requesting the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to appear before it on February 29 in connection with a case registered in 2019, officials told PTI.
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Section 160 empowers a police officer to summon witnesses during an investigation. The case revolves around the alleged issuance of mining leases in violation of the e-tendering process. The Allahabad High Court had directed the investigation.
The accusation involves public servants allowing illegal mining during 2012-16 when Yadav held the position of chief minister, and renewing licenses despite a National Green Tribunal ban on mining. It has been claimed that officers allowed mineral theft and extorted money from leaseholders and drivers.
In 2016, the CBI started looking into seven different things following what the Allahabad High Court told them. They were investigating a case about the illegal mining of small minerals.
The CBI has stated that when Akhilesh Yadav was the Chief Minister, his office approved 13 projects all at once. Yadav, who was also in charge of mining for some time, is accused of approving 14 leases, with 13 given on February 17, 2013, not following the right process.
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According to the CBI, on that day, the leases were given by the district magistrate of Hamirpur, B Chandrakala, after getting approval from the Chief Minister’s office, going against the rules in place since 2012.
In January 2019, the CBI searched 14 places in connection with this case against 11 people. This includes IAS officer B Chandrakala, Samajwadi Party MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra, and Sanjay Dixit, who ran for the 2017 assembly election on a BSP ticket. The investigation was about the supposed illegal mining of small minerals in Hamirpur district from 2012 to 2016.
Yadav, who was the Chief Minister from 2012 to 2017 and in charge of mining during 2012-13, is being investigated, according to the FIR. After him, Gayatri Prajapati took over as the mining minister in 2013 and was arrested in 2017 following a rape complaint.
(With PTI inputs)