Two former ministers sent to jail

The court of district and sessions judge on Saturday rejected interim bails of former ministers in previous government — Rangnath Mishra and Chandradeo Ram Yadav — and sent them to jail until next hearing fixed for February 5.

The ministers are facing charges of allegedly taking kickbacks for allocating government fund to Labour and Construction Co-operative Federation (LACCFED) for construction works in 2010-11. Special Investigation Bureau (SIB) of police cooperative cell is investigating into the scam.

SIB Deputy SP A P Gangwar, who confirmed about the former ministers being sent to jail, said they will be filing an application in the court on Monday seeking custody of both the accused for interrogation. The former ministers had not appeared for questioning when summoned by the agency earlier, Gangwar added.

Mishra and Yadav, who were ministers for secondary education and small scale industries respectively, in the Mayawati government, were on the run since October last year and were granted interim bail after they surrendered before the court on January 10.

The district judge court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants and proclamation notices against them on October 25 and November 22 last year respectively, on the basis of evidences produced by the investigating agency. Gangwar said they had produced evidences before the court against both the accused which included documents and statements of the subordinates of the former ministers and the LACCFED officials who are also accused in the scam.

The SIB had collected files from secondary education department which contained noting by then minister Rangnath Mishra related to selection of LACCFED as the executing agency for the construction work in the department.

Besides, the SIB also had recorded statements of then secretary to the secondary education department in the government, the joint directors in the concerned divisions and the district inspectors of schools. The concerned officials during questioning had told the SIB that the then minister never involved them while taking the decision to appoint LACCFED as a working agency.

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