The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav to appear as a witness tomorrow, Thursday 29 February, in connection to an illegal mining case in Uttar Pradesh. The case revolves around the alleged issuance of mining leases in violation of the e-tendering process, as ordered by the Allahabad High Court.
Under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the CBI has issued a notice to Akhilesh Yadav, asking him to appear before the federal agency in Delhi for questioning. This section empowers police officers to summon witnesses during investigations.
The allegations suggest that during Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure as chief minister from 2012 to 2016, public servants permitted illegal mining activities and unlawfully renewed licenses despite a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal. It’s further alleged that officials allowed mineral theft and extorted money from lease-holders and drivers.
In response to the allegations, the CBI initiated seven preliminary enquiries in 2016, following the directives of the Allahabad High Court, to investigate the illegal mining of minor minerals. The agency has pointed out instances where the then-chief minister’s office cleared multiple mining projects in a single day, allegedly bypassing the e-tendering process.
Akhilesh Yadav, who also held the mining portfolio for a period, is under scrutiny for approving leases, with 13 being cleared on a single day in February 2013, allegedly in violation of the e-tendering process. His tenure from 2012 to 2013 as the state’s chief minister and mining portfolio holder has brought his role into question, according to the FIR filed by the CBI.
The FIR alleges that besides Akhilesh Yadav, others were involved in allowing illegal excavation of minor minerals, committing theft, and extorting money from leaseholders and drivers transporting minor minerals.
In a separate development, Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP of being apprehensive about the INDIA bloc and accused it of causing divisions within other parties. Yadav has pledged to take action against rebel MLAs who allegedly cross-voted for the BJP in the recent Rajya Sabha elections.
During the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP secured eight out of ten seats contested, while the Samajwadi Party won two seats. The contest was marred by controversy after seven SP MLAs allegedly cross-voted, ultimately resulting in the victory of BJP’s candidate, former RS MP Sanjay Seth.
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