UP Vigilance gets nod to book 3 Maya ministers

The state government has given permission to the Vigilance department to lodge FIRs against Badshah Singh, Ramveer Upadhyay and Chandradeo Ram Yadav — all ministers in the Mayawati government — on charges of corruption, misuse of power and disproportionate assets, sources said.

The Vigilance has also been given a go-ahead for conducting preliminary enquiry in charges of corruption against former higher education minister Rakesh Dhar Tripathi, sources added.

The agency had submitted reports of enquiries against former labour minister Badshah Singh and former energy minister Ramveer Upadhyay in October, and against former small-scale industries minister Chandradeo Ram Yadav in December, holding that the charges against them were prima facie true, and seeking permission for registering cases for proper investigation.

The enquiry into the charges against Singh found that he had grabbed government land in his village, Kharela in Mahoba district, and got it transferred in his name in connivance with local officials.

The Vigilance claimed to have collected information regarding Upadhyay's alleged involvement in money laundering and possessing properties worth several crores in the names of his family members and close associates who are yet to provide details about their source of income against these assets, sources said. Upadhyay and his family reportedly own properties in Hathras, Noida and Delhi which allegedly were purchased during the last six years.

The enquiry against Yadav found that he had misused his status as a minister and allegedly owns wealth disproportionate to his actual earnings. The Vigilance has collected details of properties owned by Yadav and his family members in Azamgarh, Lucknow and Varanasi.

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