NEW DELHI/RANCHI:The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed three separate chargesheets against former Jharkhand MLAs from BJP, Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in connection with cash-for-vote scam during the 2010 Rajya Sabha Elections.
A CBI spokesperson said the first chargesheet had been filed against three then MLAs of Congress - Rajesh Ranjan, Yogendra Sao and Sawna Lakra; the second chargesheet was against Simon Marandi of the JMM and the third one, was against Umashankar Akela of the BJP.
A case was registered by the CBI against then six MLAs of different political parties on the orders of the Jharkhand High Court in response to a PIL filed by an NGO, transferring a case earlier registered in State Vigilance Bureau. The Vigilance Bureau had registered the case on the complaint of the Election Commission of India (EC) which took cognizance of a TV Channel news telecast on August 2, 2010 where then MLAs were allegedly found indulging in the act of horse-trading in a sting operation, conducted by a media group. One of the then MLAs had died prior to the commencement of a CBI investigation.
“The CBI Investigation revealed that the said accused -- then MLAs -- had allegedly demanded and agreed to accept illegal gratification for themselves to the tune of Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore (approx) for casting their votes in favour of the purported candidate of the sting reporter,” the CBI spokesperson said.
The accused had also allegedly assured the reporter who conducted the sting, for influencing their fellow party legislators to secure their votes in favour of the purported candidate.
Meanwhile, BJP leader M J Akbar and JMM’s former minister Haji Hussain Ansari on Monday filed nomination papers for the July 2 Rajya Sabha by-elections with only one year left for the term to end.
Akbar filed papers in three sets with Chief Minister Raghubar Das and eight of his cabinet ministers and several BJP MLAs proposing his name.
AJSU party MLA and state Water Resources minister Chandraprakash Choudhary was among the proposers. JMM leader and former minister Haji Hussain Ansari filed his papers in two sets.