Indian probe agency CBI calls Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as witness in illegal mining case: Reports

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav as a witness for questioning in the illegal mining case, Indian media reports said citing sources within the investigative agency.

The reports said the sources revealed that the former chief minister of the northern Uttar Pradesh state is scheduled to undergo questioning on February 29.

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Akhilesh Yadav had previously headed the mining department from 2012 to June 2013.

Illegal mining incidents were reported in seven districts of Uttar Pradesh including Shamli, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Deoria, Saharanpur, Hamirpur and Siddharthnagar.

The allegations suggest that government officials unlawfully allocated mining sites, disregarding rules and regulations between 2012 and 2016. The mining rights were granted in violation of NGT (National Green Tribunal) orders, according to the agency.

The CBI contends that on February 17, 2013, leases were unlawfully granted by the district magistrate of Hamirpur, B Chandrakala, in contravention of the 2012 e-tender policy.

This approval was reportedly obtained from the chief minister's office, despite the fact that the policy had received validation from the Allahabad High Court on January 29 of the same year.

In January 2019, the CBI conducted searches at 14 locations in connection with its FIR against 11 individuals, including IAS officer B Chandrakala, Samajwadi Party MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra, and Sanjay Dixit, who unsuccessfully contested the 2017 assembly election on a BSP ticket.

Akhilesh Yadav served as the Minister of Mining from 2012 to June 2013, placing his actions under scrutiny. Subsequently, Gayatri Prajapati took over the postin 2013. Prajapati faced arrest in 2017 following an allegation of rape made by a woman residing in Chitrakoot.

(With inputs from agencies)