Court orders FIR against BJP MLA in land-grabbing case

A court in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district has ordered the police to lodge an FIR against a BJP legislator in connection with a case of land grabbing and illegal construction.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Ram Karan Yadav gave the order yesterday against Bhadohi MLA Ravindra Nath Tripathi, his four family members, the then district inspector of schools (DIOS) and another person.

The order came on a plea by a person named Krishnanand Tewari, who had accused Tripathi and his associates of transferring two bighas of land in Chauguna village of Bhadohi to an NGO by showing fake land records. The NGO -- which existed only on papers -- got the land for 15 years for running a school.

Tripathi, who was then a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA, allegedly took Rs 20 lakh from the government for running the school, but got his private home constructed instead, said Bhadohi Superintendent of Police Rajesh S.

While the MLA had signed the papers on behalf of the NGO, the then DIOS, Anandkar Pandey, was the signatory for the government, the SP said.

The process for registering the FIR is underway, he added.