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Jharkhand: Cong revokes suspension of 3 MLAs caught with cash in WB
Announcing the decision, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur said the party has decided to revoke the suspension of Irfan Ansari, Naman Bixel Kongari and Rajesh Kacchap because “nothing came out in police investigation” and since the three legislators have “accepted their mistake and tendered apology”.
The Congress’s central leadership on Friday revoked the suspension of its three legislators who were arrested in Kolkata on July 30 last year with cash that was allegedly paid for toppling the Hemant Soren government.
Announcing the decision, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur said the party has decided to revoke the suspension of Irfan Ansari, Naman Bixel Kongari and Rajesh Kacchap because “nothing came out in police investigation” and since the three legislators have “accepted their mistake and tendered apology”.
“Our national president accepted the recommendation of the party state unit as well as the legislature party and has directed to revoke their suspension. The decision has been taken since nothing came out in police investigation and subsequent relief from court. The MLAs have accepted their mistake and extended apology,” said Thakur.
The three legislators were caught while travelling in a car on the outskirts of Howrah with ₹49 lakh in cash in their vehicle on July 30. A day later, Congress legislator Anup Singh got an FIR registered in Ranchi, alleging that the trio were part of a conspiracy to topple the Hemant Soren government in collusion with BJP leaders and had offered him ₹10 crore for switching sides.
The FIR was later shifted to Bengal, where the Kolkata police booked the three arrested legislators under relevant sections based on the complaint filed by Anup Singh. The three subsequently got interim bail from the Calcutta High Court, with a condition to stay put in Kolkata for three months. After expiry of three months, they secured regular bail and returned to Jharkhand.
Based on the FIR filed and subsequent suspension, legislature party leader Alamgir Alam had moved a disqualification petition against the three legislators.
Thakur defended the party’s decision then to get the FIR registered, but evaded a question as to why the three legislators had to apologize if they were not at fault.
“An FIR is just a first information report. Later nothing came out in police investigation. Then we informed you that they have been suspended. Today, we are informing you that their suspension has been revoked,” said Thakur.
Legislature party leader and rural development minister Alamgir Alam said he would initiate process with the Speaker’s tribunal to withdraw the disqualification petition as per law.
