RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec.9: The role of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam as well as Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s representative Pankaj Mishra in managing a tender for a toll plaza in Sahibganj district has come under the scanner of Jharkhand High Court.
A single bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi, in its order on December 6, which was uploaded on the court website today, observed that Alam is holding a Constitutional Post in the State of Jharkhand and such public works are required to be performed by the holder of the said Constitutional Post having regard to his status and keeping into the fact that the State indents to give such responsibility upon him.
“A person, who is Minister in the State of Jharkhand against whom, prima facie it appears that he has threatened this petitioner not to participate in the tender process, is a concern for the court,” the court has observed.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Shambhu Nandan Kumar, a businessman. He had moved the high court after the Sahibganj police exonerated both Alam as well as Mishra while filing a chargesheet in the case.
“It appears that only to save Alam and Mishra, chargesheet has not been submitted against them, rather against eight other persons, the chargesheet has been submitted, however, the respondent Nos. 8 (Alam) and 9 (Mishra) have been allowed to be exonerated by the police when there are serious allegations against them and what was the reason of not submitting the chargesheet against the two respondents is a matter of concern,” Justice Dwivedi observed.
The court has observed that the toll plaza in question has the importance, as the vehicles are crossing at the said inter-border toll plaza from the State of Jharkhand to the State of Bihar and also to the State of West Bengal, thus, the toll plaza in question is having a role to check the illegal transportation.
Businessman Shambhu Nandan Kumar had filed the petition demanding a probe into the politician-police nexus after he observed that first he was forced not to participate in a tender process for running a plaza located on the border of Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand. When he lodged an FIR in this connection at the Barharwa police station the police swung into action to save the main accused, Pankaj Mishra and minister Alamgir Alam.
Notably, the high court stayed the trial going in the matter in the lower court and asked the CBI as well as the ED to file a counter affidavit in this case.
However, the Sahibganj SP submitted in the court that the ED has got no role in the case as the case has already been investigated by the police and a chargesheet has also been submitted against the eight accused persons, exonerating Alam and Mishra.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Kumar, appearing for the CBI as well as ED submitted that the IO of the case has been called by the ED for investigation, as it has come that there is manipulation in closing the case so far as Alam and Mishra are concerned. He submitted that he has got instruction that there are sufficient materials to take over the case by the ED and he will bring on record the said materials by way of filing the affidavit.
