CBI may investigate Akhilesh Yadav's role in illegal mining scam

CBI may investigate the role of Samajwadi Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in an alleged illegal sand mining case, sources indicated on Saturday after the investigating agency conducted raids at 12 places in connection with the alleged scam.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday carried out searches at 12 places in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in an ongoing investigation of a case relating to alleged illegal mining of minor minerals in Hamirpur.

CBI registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the then District Magistrate of Hamirpur, then Geologist/Mining Officer, the then mining clerk and eight others including leaseholders, private persons and other unknown public servants and unknown persons.

Earlier, an inquiry into the alleged illegal mining of minor minerals in district Hamirpur was conducted on the orders the Allahabad High Court.

It was alleged that public servants in criminal conspiracy with other accused allowed illegal mining of minor minerals in the district during 2012-2016. It was further alleged that they had illegally granted fresh leases for mining of sand, renewed existing leases and permitted obstructed period to the existing leaseholders and thereby caused wrongful loss to the government exchequer and undue gain to themselves.

It was also alleged that other persons were allowed to excavate minor minerals illegally, to commit theft of the minor minerals and to extort money from the leaseholders as well as from the drivers of the vehicles transporting minor minerals.

Searches have been conducted on Saturday at 12 places in the districts of Hamirpur, Jalon, Noida, Kanpur and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and in Delhi. During the searches, incriminating material pertaining to illegal sand mining, including huge cash and gold were recovered. The searches and investigation are underway.

It has been alleged that government officials along with private individuals had allocated some illegal mining sites by flouting rules and regulations between the year 2012 and 2016. Mining rights were also given in violation of NGT orders.

All those who were ministers in that period will also be investigated, CBI sources said. Yadav held the charge of mining ministry between 2012 to July 2013 and hence can come under scanner in the ongoing probe.

The CBI had initiated a probe in the alleged illegal mining case in 2016 on directions of the Allahabad High Court. The cases of illegal mining were recorded from seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely, Shamli, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Deoria, Saharanpur, Hamirpur, and Siddharthnagar.

The CBI had registered FIR in the case on January 2.