Published 11:30 IST, July 23rd 2020
Union Min Shekhawat in trouble; Jaipur court allows probe in cooperative scam allegations
Amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, Jaipur court has given a nod to probe into allegations against Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat in credit society scam
Amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, a Jaipur court has given a nod to probe into allegations against Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat in an alleged credit cooperative society scam. Shekhawat has been named in the complaint along with his wife and others in the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam in which thousands of investors allegedly lost about Rs 900 crores. While Shekhawat was not mentioned in the charge sheet filed by the SOG in connection with case, the applicants then approached the additional district judge's court. The Jaipur unit of the SOG has probed into the scam since last year. An FIR was registered on August 23, 2019.
The development comes amid allegations by the Congress that the minister is involved in a bid to topple the Ashok Gehlot government. The Special Operations Group (SOG) has already sent a notice to the minister in connection with a probe into audio clips that purportedly indicate efforts to lure MLAs away from the Congress. On Tuesday, additional district judge Pawan Kumar directed the additional chief judicial magistrate's court to send the complaint against the BJP leader to the SOG.
Shekhawat has refuted the allegations and said that he is ready for any probe into the matter. The Minister also said that he does not know about any Sanjay Jain whose name has also been mentioned in the audiotape. "I am ready to face any investigation. The audio doesn't have my voice and that is fake audio," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, commenting on the ongoing deadlock in Rajasthan, Shekhawat said that country is paying the price due to 'one family'. What seems to be a taunt aimed at the Gandhi family, Shekhawat's comment comes against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi saying that BJP is attempting to dislodge the elected Congress government in Rajasthan amid Coronavirus pandemic.
Congress presents 'leaked tapes' in court
The Rajasthan SOG produced the audio clip which allegedly features businessman Sanjay Jain talking to MLAs about money transactions in a sessions court in Jaipur. The court has now ordered Jain to a four-day remand of the Special Operations Group (SOG) team of Rajasthan Police. Moreover, sources state that accused BJP leaders - Ashok Singh and Bharat Malani refused to give their voice samples for further investigation. The SOG team has also visited hotels in Haryana to issue a notice to the 19 rebel MLAs to collect evidence in the form of voice samples.
BJP demands CBI inquiry
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra demanded a CBI inquiry on the phone taping. The Rajasthan government sent its report on phone tapping to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Home Ministry had on July 18 asked the Rajasthan Chief Secretary to submit a report after BJP alleged illegalities on phone tapping in the state.
Updated 11:30 IST, July 23rd 2020