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From the alleged illegal sand mining racket to the land-for-jobs scam and cooperative bank fraud, the ED has now expanded its investigation with more raids likely to happen
RJD matriarch and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi (L) to her daughter and Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti (R) and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav (centre), the ED probe extends to a roster of high-profile leaders. (Image: PTI/File)
As Bihar gears up for assembly elections later this year, the RJD finds itself cornered with at least six major corruption cases involving its top leaders, including former chief minister Rabri Devi, former deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, and Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti.
From the alleged illegal sand mining racket to the land-for-jobs scam and cooperative bank fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now expanded its investigation with more raids likely to happen. It has started the process for the submission of prosecution complaints, commonly known as chargesheets in some cases.
Party matriarch Rabri to daughter Misa and heir apparent Tejashwi, the ED probe extends to a roster of high-profile leaders, including some former ministers and MLAs. In the process, it also has several fresh pieces of evidence that include the involvement of senior bureaucrats of the state.
The investigations span a range of high-stakes scams – alleged illegal sand mining, in which the state witnessed a fresh arrest last year; the land-for-jobs scandal; and cooperative bank fraud. Sources said the ED may soon initiate prosecution complaints or even proceed to secure sanction for prosecution with regard to the involvement of public servants in several of these cases. This seems to be a move that could deepen the party’s troubles during election season.
With the poll battle intensifying in Bihar, the corruption cloud and the cases may affect the RJD’s bid to project itself as the defender of the masses raising questions on the political cost of these allegations.
FRESH ‘SCAM’ UNRAVELLED
The ED, meanwhile, has made headway in connection with the money laundering case related to the Patna railway claims tribunal scam. Searches were conducted in four locations related to judge RK Mittal and other involved advocates in Patna, Nalanda and Karnataka’s Mangalore; while three advocates – Bidyanand Singh, Parmanand Sinha, and Vijay Kumar – were arrested under sections of money laundering.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ED said: “Investigation was initiated on the basis of FIRs registered by the CBI, ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau), Patna regarding mass scale irregularities and criminality in the death claim cases filed, processed and decided at the railway claims tribunal, Patna against unknown public servants of the railways, Bidyanand Singh, Parmanand Singh, Vijay Kumar and others under various sections of IPC, 1860, and PC (Prevention of Corruption) Act, 1988. As per the FIRs, in pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy, in accidental death claim cases, only a part of the decreed amount, actually awarded to the claimants, was received by the claimants and a major chunk was siphoned off by the conspirators.”
“The investigation revealed that Bidyanand Singh and his team of advocates including Parmanand Sinha and Vijay Kumar dealt (with) around 900 cases where decrees/execution orders were issued by judge RK Mittal wherein approximately Rs 50 crore compensation was awarded to the claimants,” the ED added.
