UP Vigilance files FIR against 5 former LDA officials over ‘irregularities’ in registration of plots

Those named in the FIR include Ambi Bisht, a former property officer with the LDA and mother-in-law of Prateek Yadav, the younger son of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Bisht’s daughter Aparna Yadav is currently Vice-Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission.

The case was registered at the Lucknow sector of the Vigilance Establishment under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and charges of criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The other accused are Virendra Singh, a former section officer; then deputy secretary Devendra Singh Rathore, ex-senior cost accountant Suresh Vishnu Mahadane and former junior assistant Shailendra Kumar Gupta.

The investigation began after complaints surfaced in 2016 about irregularities in the allotment and registration of plots under the LDA’s Priyadarshini (Janakipuram) housing scheme.

Initially, the probe centered on the role of late Mukteshwar Nath Ojha, a former clerk of the authority, but later widened to include several other officials after evidence suggested their involvement in the conspiracy.

According to officials, the Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed the signatures of the accused on key documents, including allotment letters, registration proposals and sale deeds.