Yogi govt gives nod to prosecution of 39 officials in connection with memorial scam during Mayawati regime

The government gave its approval for trial of these officers on the corruption in the memorial scam.

Among the 39 officers, the then mining director Ram Bodh Maurya of Rajikya Nirman Nigam and the then Managing Director C P Singh have already retired.

The other officers and engineers against whom the prosecution would commence in corruption cases are the then joint director mining Suhel Ahmed Faroque and others.

All the 39 accused have been chargesheeted by the Lok Ayukhta too.

Sources here on Tuesday said that the vigilance department had sought the prosecution of the 39 officers and engineers in the scam just after the Yogi Adityanath government came to power.

"After the government's nod, the vigilance department will file chargesheet against these officers and engineers in the court," the sources said.

The Lok Ayukt Justice(Retd) N K Mehrotra had probed the matter in the earlier stage and also accused these 39 people behind the scam. However, the Lok Ayukt had also made former minister Nasimuddin Siddique and Babu Singh Kushawaha accused in the scam.

The Lok Ayukt had submitted its report on the Memorial scam on May 20, 2013 to the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in which 199 people, including two ministers, were accused in the scam.

The Lok Ayukt had recommended further inquiry into the scam. The government first recommended for probe by the Economic Offences Wing(EOW) but later it was given to the vigilance department.

Among the accused were one sitting legislator, 2 former legislators, 2 lawyers, 5 officers of the mining department, 57 engineers and 37 accountants of the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam, 5 engineers of the LDA, 60 firms and 20 consortium along with 8 brokers.

The Lok Ayukta had recommended immediate registering of FIRs against former ministers Nasimuddin Siddique, Babu Singh Kushahawa, MD Rajikya Nirman Nigam C P Singh, the then joint director mining Suhel Ahmed Faroque along with 15 engineers. It had also recommended CBI probe and setting up of a special task force for an indepth probe into the matter.

According to the scam, the Mayawati government during 2007 to 2012 had constructed memorials on the name of Dalit icons in Lucknow and Noida in which financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 1410 were detected.

The Lok Ayukt probe report says that the stones were purchased 34 per cent more than the market rate in which Rs 1410 crores were siphoned off. The Lok Ayukt had also recommended realisation of the entire scam money from the accused.