Governor accepts Venod Sharma's resignation

With Venod Sharma's resignation being accepted, the strength of the Hooda ministry has come down to 12.

Haryana Governor AR Kidwai on Saturday accepted the resignation of Venod Sharma, facing flak following revelations in the Jessica Lall murder case in which his son Manu Sharma is the main accused, from the Congress-led government in the state.

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Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had forwarded Sharma's letter to the Governor on Friday evening after the power minister submitted his resignation to Congress President Sonia Gandhi following allegations that he had bribed three key witnesses to save his son.

The governor could not take a decision on the matter on Friday as he was out of station, sources said.

Tehelka had carried out a three-month sting operation against three key witnesses - Shayan Munshi, Karan Rajput, and Shiv Das - who had turned hostile in the ramp model murder case leading to the acquittal of Manu Sharma.

The operation had sought to reveal how money and muscle power was allegedly used to coerce the three witnesses into changing their stand in court despite having given statements to the police accusing Manu of the crime.