Akhilesh Yadav may skip CBI summons in illegal mining case
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is likely to skip a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summons concerning an illegal mining case. The CBI issued the summons on Wednesday, seeking his presence in Delhi on Thursday as a witness in the case that took place in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur from 2012 to 2016. Yadav was the CM at the time. He was also in charge of the mining portfolio from 2012-13.
Why does this story matter?
Yadav has linked the summons to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, claiming he had received a similar notice before the 2019 general elections too. He has also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre of targeting his party. The SP is the BJP's main contender in the state in the general elections and has entered into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress.
Allegations of e-tendering process violations during Yadav's tenure
According to the CBI, public servants allowed illegal mining during 2012-16, when Yadav was chief minister, and illegally renewed licenses despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on mining. Officers also allegedly allowed the theft of minerals and extorted money from leaseholders and drivers. In 2016, the CBI filed seven preliminary inquiries in response to the Allahabad High Court's order to investigate cases of illegal mining of minor minerals such as stones, gravel, and sand.
3 FIRs were filed in 2019
Based on the seven preliminary inquiries, three FIRs were filed in 2019. The FIR includes charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, extortion, cheating, attempt to commit offenses, and misconduct. Between 2012 and 2016, 11 people were named in the FIR along with unknown public servants who allegedly allowed illegal mining of minor minerals in Hamirpur. The CBI had also alleged that Yadav's office cleared 13 projects in a single day on February 17, 2013, in violation of the e-tendering process.
An FIR has been filed against 11 people
Other than Hamirpur, the CBI was also investigating illegal mining in Shamli, Saharanpur, Deoria, Fatehpur, Siddharth Nagar, and Kaushambi districts. In January 2019, the CBI conducted searches at 14 sites in connection with a FIR filed against 11 people. During its searches, the CBI discovered Rs. 2 crore cash and 2 kg of gold at the home of an accused, Ramavtar Singh. He was a clerk in the mining department in Hamirpur at the time the violation was allegedly committed.
