FIR recommended against Kushwaha

Mehrotra prepared the joint report on three separate complaints containing similar allegations filed by Arvind Kumar Soni,Shivpujan Singh Kachhwaha,and Arun Dev Dwivedi in November 2011.

Mehrotra said no procedure was followed while giving the contracts for the mining of stone,red gravel and sand in the districts of Mahoba and Banda. He found that the advertisements for tenders were published in the newspapers unheard of — Radical Times,Agnipath,and Karmyug — and all the applicants except the ones who were awarded the contracts were dummy. He said most of the contracts were given to Girdharilal Kushwaha,Dilip Kumar Singh and Rahul Singh who are alleged to be Kushwaha’s aides.

Mehrotra found that the necessary clearance by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests required for awarding mining contracts of an area more than 5 hectare,was also not obtained when the contracts were given.

Lokayukta said Kushwaha registered five societies on his and his wife’s name and used them for money laundering. The societies — Tathagat Shikshan Sthali,Bhagwat Prasad Educational Welfare Trust,Shiva Wines,Srinath Properties,and Access Group Educational Institutions — which were registered in Lucknow,Jhansi,Kanpur and Banda,prima facie seem to have been used for money laundering,he added.

Mehrotra said none of the societies have submitted their complete annual balance sheets to Registrar of Societies and Chit Fund. He said that the money was also invested into a Mumbai-based company Darpan Mercantile Limited. The Lokayukta said as he does not have the necessary infrastructure to investigate the money laundering which is spread even outside the state,he had asked for a CBI or vigilance investigation.

The Lokayukta also found Kushwaha guilty of using two names,Ram Charan Kushwaha and Babu Singh Kushwaha,and his wife of using,Shivkanya and Sukanya,simultaneously for buying properties.

Mehortra said Kushwaha did not file his reply on the allegations of two complaints and the reply submitted by him for one of the complaints was not signed by him. He said Kushwaha,however,did not deny any allegations and said that the matter was pending in the court as a PIL had been filed by one Sabajeet.

Kushwaha was expelled from the BSP in November and he joined the BJP in January. After opposition of his induction in the party,Kushwaha’s party membership was put on hold.