Chandauli Housing Scam: SDM Ambedkarnagar, Ballia’s exec officer held in graft case

According to police, the anomalies in the housing scheme had surfaced in 2011 but a petition in the case was only filed in the Allahabad High Court in 2013.

LUCKNOW The sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Ambedkarnagar and Ballia’s executive officer (EO) were arrested on Monday night in connection with the anomalies found in the Manyawar Kanshiram Housing Scheme. The arrest comes after a direction from the Allahabad High Court, said Chandauli’s (Sadar) additional superintendent of police (ASP) Vinay Kumar Singh while adding that further legal proceedings are underway.

Manyawar Kanshiram Housing Scheme was aimed at providing homes to underprivileged families. (Representational photo)

For the unversed, the Manyawar Kanshiram Housing Scheme was aimed at providing homes to underprivileged families in urban areas of the Chandauli district. However, the two accused -- SDM Sunil Kumar and EO Rajendra Prasad -- allegedly allotted the houses only to those people who bribed them.

According to police, the anomalies in the housing scheme had surfaced in 2011 but a petition in the case was only filed in the Allahabad High Court in 2013. The same year, a probe was conducted and the role of several officers came under the scanner. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged at Chanduali Sadar police station. Later, the probe revealed that as many as 42 houses under this scheme were allotted to people in violation of norms. The petitioner -- Chandauli-resident Chandra Mohan Singh -- alleged that the accused officers took money in return for allotting houses.

Back then, accused Sunil Kumar was posted as a tehsildar while Rajendra Prasad served as EO in Chandauli. In 2021, Rajendra Prasad was transferred to Ballia while Sunil Kumar was transferred and elevated to the SDM rank between 2013 and 2021.

A senior police official has said that the role of some more officers and personnel are still under the scanner and more arrests are likely. The cop added that police have also taken custody of one Shiv Shankar Pathak, who was posted as a lekhpal in Chandauli then and remained instrumental in “illegal” allotments.