Taking serious note of indictment by the Lokayukta, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday dropped one of her ministers charged with graft.
Minister of state for Homeopathy and Religious Endowments Rajesh Tripathi was sacked unceremoniously after he was found guilty of committing large-scale irregularities by Lokayukta Justice NK Mehrotra.
A detailed report was submitted by the Lokayukta on a complaint made by Tripathi's estranged associate and activist Vijay Prakash Shukla. The complaint had accused the minister of not only land grabbing and pilfering of government funds through a non-government organisation floated by him, but also fleecing common people in Barhalganj. "Tripathi had imposed a private levy on every cremation carried out at the local cremation ground in Barhalganj,"
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