Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

NHRM scam: ExBSP leader Kushwaha gets bail

- Jitendra Sarin sarin.jitendra@gmail.com

The Allahabad high court has granted bail to former state minister Babu Singh Kushwaha in the multi-crore NRHM scam which came to light when the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power from 2007 to 2012. Allowing the bail applicatio­n, justice Arun Tandon ordered that the applicant shall refrain from tampering with the evidence or adopting any dilatory tactics in trial.

IN THE NRHM SCAM, RUPEES MEANT FOR BUYING MEDICINES AND EQUIPMENT FOR HOSPITALS WERE SIPHONED OFF OVER SEVERAL YEARS.

ALLAHABAD : The Allahabad high court has granted bail to former state minister Babu Singh Kushwaha in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam which came to light when the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power from 2007 to 2012.

Allowing the bail applicatio­n of Kushwaha, justice Arun Tandon ordered that the applicant shall refrain from tampering with the evidence or adopting any dilatory tactics in trial.

The court further directed that he would furnish bail bonds for a sum of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties in the like amount and shall also deposit Rs 20 lakh with the court below.

The court further directed that the amount so deposited by the applicant shall be transferre­d to the state government for being utilised in National Rural Health Mission of the government. Earlier, a CBI court in Ghaziabad had rejected the bail applicatio­n of Kushwaha. Thereafter, he approached the high court.

He took the plea that the co accused with whom the applicant is alleged to have conspired in the matter of placement of medical officers on monetary considerat­ion have already been granted bail in the present matter. The co-accused included Anant Kumar Mishra, Ram Prasad Jaiswal, Raees Ahmed Siddiqui and Mahendra Kumar Pandey. Hence, he requested the court to release him on this ground. The multi-crore NRHM scam was investigat­ed by the CBI. The CBI court at Ghaziabad is conducting the trial. After concluding investigat­ion, the CBI filed a chargeshee­t against Kushwaha before the CBI court, Ghaziabad.

In the NRHM scam, hundreds of crores of rupees meant for buying medicines and equipment for village health centres and hospitals were siphoned off over several years.

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