CBI files two cases against Maneka Gandhi

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday filed two cases against former Union minister Maneka Gandhi and five others, including her sister, for allegedly diverting funds from Maulana Azad Educational Foundation during her tenure as minister of state for social justice and empowerment in the National Democratic Alliance government.

The CBI registered the cases in a designated court in New Delhi charging Maneka, her sister Ambika Shukla and four others under the Indian Penal Code on charges, including forgery and cheating, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The first case was registered against Gandhi, Shukla and Vijay Sharma, treasurer of Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust while the second case named her, Secreatry of Alp Sankhyak Mridul Girls Inter College Shiksha Samiti at Pilibhit F U Siddiqi and other office bearers V K Gupta and Tarachand Pandey, the CBI said.

Both cases have been registered as a follow up of the Preliminary Enquiry registered on November 14 last year against the former minister and others pursuant to the Delhi high court order dated October 19, 2005, a CBI spokesman told reporters.

During the inquiry, allegations pertaining to allocation of funds to seven institutions were probed under the monitoring of the high court and the final status report was submitted to the high court on July 24, 2006, which contained the findings of CBI and the decision to register the two cases.

In the case registered pertaining to Alp Sankhayak Mridul Girls Inter College Shiksha Samiti, the inquiry revealed that the manager of the Samiti had applied to MAEF on April 12, 1999, for sanctioning a grant of Rs 42 lakh, enclosing details of teachers and students in the school running since last three years.

The inquiry has brought out that all documents submitted along with the application pertaining to running of the school were 'false and forged,' the CBI spokesman said, claiming that no school was running at the time of submission of the application.

Inquiry also showed the land was transferred to the Society much later on November 27, 1999, he said.

It was also found that the Samiti was sanctioned a grant of Rs 15 lakh by the governing body during the meeting on October 22, 1999, which was presided by the former minister when the Society was landless, the spokesman said. The Society had submitted 'false' information that the school was running for the last three years though it was created only 12

days prior to submission of the application, he said.

The College was named after Maneka Gandhi and was inaugurated by her son Varun on December 14, 2000.

Investigations showed that public money was allegedly fraudulently used to advance personal objectives by irregularly granting the aforesaid grant and causing undue favour to her political associate, the spokesman claimed.

The CBI also alleged that Maneka had sanctioned another Rs 6 lakh to the college from her Local Area Development fund on August 28, 2001, but actually only Rs 4.75 lakh was released by the District Magistrate. The second case registered pertains to Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust in which the CBI found during inquiry that the Trust was registered on March 8, 2000, with Maneka's sister Ambika Shukla as its chairperson and one of her friend's as the managing trustee.

The doctor friend wrote an undated letter to the minister in which he fraudulently mentioned that the Trust was involved for a long time in social work, specially in the field of education and medicine and health, and requested to obtain a minimum of five acres of land to start a nursing college by the Trust.

The minister forwarded the letter to the Pilibhit district magistrate on March 21, 2000, for doing the needful, who in turn selected a part of land near the Old Hospital. The Managing Treasurer moved an application dated January 2, 2001, to MAEF for seeking financial assistance of Rs 218 lakh for establishing a nursing college at Chowk, Pillibhit, Uttar Pradesh.

In the 35th Governing Body meeting of the Trust held in 2001, which was presided over by Gandhi, Rs 50 lakh were sanctioned to the Trust and the condition of three years post registration was relaxed. No inspection whatsoever was carried out to find whether the facts submitted by the Trust were true.

Enquiry also revealed that the minister sanctioned five ambulances from her MPLAD fund to GRWT during November 2002, for which Rs 10.40 lakh was sanctioned to the Trust. The GRWT instead purchased two Mohindra DI Marshal Jeeps, which cost much less and these vehicles were being used for personal works by the Trust.

During the inquiry, the CBI also recorded the statement of Maneka and her sister.