JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday sought response from the state government on a petition challenging a lower court order directing investigation against Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and others in a cooperative society scam case.
The High Court, however, did not issue a stay restraining the order of the lower court asking the Special Operations Group (SOG) to investigate Shekhawat's role in connection with the Rs 884-crore Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam.
The order has been passed on a petition filed by one Kewal Chand Dakalia, the shareholder director of Navprabha Buildtech Pvt Ltd which is said to be linked with Shekhawat.
Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani argued the matter on behalf of the petitioner from Mumbai via video conference.
The High Court has asked the state government to file its response by August 5.
A city ADJ court last week directed a private complaint to be investigated by the SOG in relation to the money trail that ended at Navprabha Buildtech in the Sanjeevani Credit Cooperative Society scam case.
On July 21, additional district judge Pawan Kumar directed the additional chief judicial magistrate's court to send the complaint related to the credit society scam to the SOG.
Shekhawat has been named along with his wife and others in the complaint related to the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam in which thousands of investors allegedly lost about Rs 884 crores.
The Jaipur unit of the SOG has been probing the scam case since last year.
An FIR was registered in connection with the case on August 23, 2019.
Shekhawat was not named as an accused in the charge sheet filed by the SOG in connection with the case.
In the investigation, the money trail was found to be linked with Navprabha Buildtech Pvt Ltd.
Later, a magistrate's court also rejected an application to include Shekhawat in the charge sheet.
The applicants then approached the additional district judge's court, which issued directions that their complaint should also be probed.
In their application to the magistrate's court, complainants Gulam Singh and Laboo Singh had claimed that a money trail mentioned in the FIR led to companies allegedly linked to the minister.
But the SOG did not investigate the role of Shekhawat or the company, the two Barmer residents had alleged.
The complainants alleged that the SOG deliberately protected Shekhawat and some others who did not figure in the charge sheet.
The Special Operations Group has already sent a notice to the minister in connection with a probe into another case pertaining to audio clips which purportedly indicate efforts to lure MLAs away from the Congress.