Supreme Court to hear case filed by CBI against BSP leader Kushwaha today

The Supreme Court will today hear the case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against former Uttar Pradesh minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Babu Singh Kushwaha.

Kushwaha is an accused in the more than Rs. 500 crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier attached properties worth Rs. 200 crore in connection with the scam.

The Court had, in the previous hearing, rapped the CBI for delay in examining vital witnesses in the case and asked it to complete the job within three months.

The bench also criticised the agency for not being able to examine key witnesses in the four NRHM cases and clarified the accused may be granted bail by the trial court if the CBI defaulted in examining witnesses.

Few months before this, the apex court had refused to grant interim bail to Kushwaha who was in jail in the multi-crore scam case. The court asked him to approach it again after four months.

In the case, it was alleged that huge sums of money were siphoned off by politicians, bureaucrats and doctors from the funds meant for the NRHM.

Kushwaha, a minister during the BSP rule, was arrested on March 3, 2012.