How Maya govt won political loyalties,case by criminal case

Ashok Singh Chandel,Hamirpur MLA

A case of kidnapping was lodged against Chandel after Mayawati became CM and ordered registration of cases which she said had been ignored during the Mulayam regime. However,having fought the election on an SP ticket,Chandel was later suspended from the party.

Now,a government application to withdraw the case against Chandel is pending in a local court in Hamirpur. The MLA,along with seven others,was accused of kidnapping and beating up a Parush Ram Kushwaha in 2006 to prevent him from testifying in a criminal case against a relative of Chandel. Asked about the government U-turn in his case,Chandel refused to comment. He was formally inducted into the BSP last week.

Sultan Beig,Kanwar MLA

The case of the Kanwar MLA is somewhat similar. The police had conducted a raid at a farmhouse of the MLA and allegedly found four trucks,one of them stolen from Kanpur,two for which there were no papers and a fourth whose chassis and engine number were found fudged. A chargesheet against Beig and six others filed in January 2010 accused them of forgery,cheating and keeping stolen property. Later,however,the MLA’s brothers joined the BSP even as he remained with the SP in name. Soon enough,the government moved for withdrawal of the case against him. Beig said the government had moved the application “after I requested them that the case was false. I have also approached the high court for relief”. Like Chandel,Sultan Beig was formally inducted into the BSP last week.

Vikas Ratan Lal Ahirwar,Minister of State for Ambedkar Gram

Ahirwar joined the BSP on the eve of the Assembly elections in 2007,and soon after coming to power,the government ordered withdrawal of two cases,one of attempt to murder and another of grabbing government land,lodged in 2006 against him. Both applications were rejected,and in both cases,the government has gone in appeal. A five-time legislator from Babina,Ahirwar had won thrice on a BJP ticket and once as an SP candidate. He claims the cases against him are politically motivated because he had voted for the BSP in the Rajya Sabha election despite being then in the SP. A driver employed with the zila panchayat had registered the case of attempt to murder against Ahirwar and his sons Rohit and Mohit.

Shiv Prasad Yadav,Barthana MLA

An Etawah court has accepted the government application to withdraw a murder case against Yadav and others. Yadav joined the BSP before the 2007 Assembly elections and won a bypoll from Barthana constituency in Etawah in 2009. Yadav’s younger brother Geetam Singh Yadav was a candidate for election of the block development committee in February 2006 when a 17-year-old rickshawpuller died during firing at a meeting at a private guest house. The chargesheet named 18 persons,including Yadav,his brother and the guest house owner. While the trial was on,the state government moved an application for withdrawal of the case,which was accepted. Says the MLA: “The case was politically motivated. At the time of the incident,the Samajwadi Party was in power. I remained in jail for over four months.”

Satish Chandra Verma,Mallawan MLA

Verma is accused of embezzlement after floating New Generation Finance and Leasing Company and raising deposits from the public. In January 2002,two of the investors,Suresh Kumar and Jugal Kishor,alleged that they were beaten up when they demanded their money back. In this case too,the government applied for withdrawal of the case of fraud against Verma. With the local court of Hardoi rejecting the application,it filed a revision plea in the court of the District Judge,which has directed the court to once again look into the matter. Incidentally,Verma recently resigned from the BSP and joined the Samjawadi Party.

Brijesh Saurabh,Gadwara MLA

A Pratapgarh court has rejected the government’s order to withdraw a criminal case against the BSP MLA,registered in 1993 when he was contesting as an Independent candidate. Saurabh and another accused allegedly led a mob that disrupted polling and damaged ballot papers and ballot boxes at a polling booth at Kuwara on voting day. The chargesheet accuses them of rioting with deadly weapons. “The court has rejected the (government) application,the trial has begun,” said Pratapgarh assistant prosecuting officer Rakesh Srivastava.

Vinod Kumar Harit,Siwalkhas MLA

A first-time BSP MLA,Harit calls the case of violation of the Representation of the People Act against him politically motivated. The government has filed an application in a Meerut court to withdraw the case,registered during the 2007 Assembly elections.

Chhote Singh,Kalpi MLA

The government has directed the district administration of Jhansi to seek withdrawal of a case of murder and attempt to murder against Singh. His lawyer Rajesh Chaturvedi said the withdrawal application had not yet been filed in court. The case dates back to 1994 when two persons were killed and one injured in a mob attack in Vinora village. The victims had suffered bullet wounds. The trial against the BSP MLA has been stayed on the direction of the Allahabad High Court.

Dhirendra Pratap Singh,Balrampur MLA

In the case of Singh too,the state government has sent instructions to the Balrampur district administration to seek withdrawal of a case. Singh is accused of rioting,causing hurt and using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty in 2001. The BSP MLA said he did not know about the government decision,“but after winning the election,I had written to the CM that this case was politically motivated”. The MLA said the incident took place when the locals held a demonstration against the Railways’ decision to downgrade a railway station to a halt. “I was not present on the spot.”