UP govt initiates prosecution proceedings against ex-minister

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to initiate prosecution proceedings against former BSP minister and his MLC brother on charges of fraud and criminal conspiracy, an official spokesman said here today.
Lokayukta N K Mehrotra has conducted an inquiry against former Minister Awadhpal Singh on a complaint lodged by one Subodh Yadav, he said.
On the basis of the Lokayukta's report, an open inquiry by the Vigilance Establishment was conducted in which the charges were confirmed prima facie, the spokesman said.
The charges against the ex-minister included grabbing of gram sabha land and giving contract of construction of animal hospitals to his son's company.

In October last year, the Vigilance Establishment was directed to register a case and investigate it.
The spokesman said on the basis of the investigation report submitted by the agency, the government had decided to initiate prosecution proceedings against Awadhpal and his brother Chandra Pratap.

He said the government had also decided to appoint a receiver to examine income and expenditure of Shri Krishna Vidyalaya at Tapua in Etah district.
Awadhpal's brother is the chairman of the managing committee of the school.
Awadhpal, who was Minister of State for Animal Husbandry in the BSP government, was sacked by the then Chief Minister Mayawati after he was indicted by the Lokayukta.