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Kalpnath, Jain bros let free in hawala case

A Delhi court has discharged former Union minister Kalpnath Rai, the three Jain brothers -- S K Jain, B R Jain and N K Jain -- and their employee J K Jain in the Rs 650 million hawala case.

''Prima facie, I find there is no material on record against any of the accused which can be converted into legal evidence,'' Special Judge V B Gupta ruled.

The Delhi high court had, earlier, quashed proceedings against Bharatiya Janata Party leader and current Union Home Minister L K Advani and Congress leader V C Shukla, holding that diaries, loose sheets and notebooks cannot be treated as legal evidence.

Now, of the 35 charged, only the case of former Union minister Arif Mohammed Khan is pending.

Of the 26 politicians accused, charges were framed against only two: Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav and former Union minister and Congress leader Balram Jhakar. Both have challenged the order in the Delhi high court.

The politicians discharged so far include Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana, former Union ministers Buta Singh, Madhav Rao Scindia, Ajit Kumar Panja and N D Tiwari, Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Congress leader R K Dhawan.

UNI

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