PIL against CM, others in MPLADS

A DAY ahead of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan?s scheduled meeting with the MP Chief Justice A K Patnaik, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court here today alleging that Chouhan and half a dozen other sitting or former MPs opened accounts for depositing MPLADS funds in a post office in Raisen, instead of nationalised banks.

A DAY ahead of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s scheduled meeting with the MP Chief Justice A K Patnaik, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court here today alleging that Chouhan and half a dozen other sitting or former MPs opened accounts for depositing MPLADS funds in a post office in Raisen, instead of nationalised banks.

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According to section 4.7 of MPLADS guidelines, the funds released under the scheme to the MPs should be deposited in the nationalised banks, the public interest litigationL says. Those named in the public interest litigation include Chouhan, Union Minister of State Suresh Pachauri, former MP and chief minister Sunderlal Patwa, and former MP Ms Mabel Rebello.

The public interest litigation said they opened the saving accounts in the post office to deal with the Madhya Pradesh Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in Raisen in June 2003, while former Union minister of state Faggan Singh Kulaste opened the account in Mandla district, the public interest litigation said.

The PIL seeks direction for probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the opening of accounts for public fund and its ‘misuse’ by the MPs, and the district Collectors and account officers of Raisen and Mandla. Also, the public interest litigation seeks direction to the Union Government for taking immediate cognizance under the Prevention of Corruption Act.