LUCKNOW Trial against former minister Gayatri Prajapati under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 will start from next month. The court of sessions judge Sanjay Shanker Pandey, who is also special judge (PMLA), had recently framed charges against the ex-mining minister in the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government.
The trial will start from January 12, when the prosecution will put forward evidence in the court against the former minister who is facing several charges under the PMLA Act.
According to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) submission in court, Prajapati had generated unaccounted money, which was deposited into bank accounts of firms being operated by family members and relatives.
The prominent firms were MGA Colonisers Company Pvt Ltd, MAGS Enterprises and Guru Nanak Cold Storage, among others.
The ED had lodged an FIR against Prajapati on October 26, 2020. In the probe several properties of the former minister came to light, including those in Amethi, Kanpur, Mohanlalganj (Lucknow) and Lonavala near Mumbai, the agency informed the court.
Prajapati was also accused of raping a woman and attempting to molest her minor daughter, along with his associates. The former minister was arrested in this case on March 15, 2017 and he is in prison since then.