SIT probe: Azam may record statement today

LUCKNOW : Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Azam Khan is expected to record his statement on Monday in connection with a notice issued to him by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) about an alleged Jal Nigam recruitment scam.

Superintendent of police, SIT, Nageshwar Singh said Khan will visit the SIT office in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow for recording his statement on Monday.

Singh said Khan told a senior SIT officer about the proposed visit. Azam Khan was not available for his comment on the matter. The SIT had issued a notice to Khan earlier this month for recording his statement on January 22.

Khan was the chairman of the Jal Nigam when the recruitment test was conducted. He was also the urban development minister in the Samajwadi Party government. The SIT started its probe on July 18 last year.

An officer, who did not wish to be named, said: “Preliminary investigation by SIT into the recruitment of 1,300 people to the posts of assistant engineer, junior engineer and clerk indicates large-scale irregularities. The agency that conducted the recruitment test did not put the result on the website.”

“The result was made public only after unsuccessful candidates moved a petition in the Allahabad high court, alleging irregularities. The candidates were not allowed to carry a copy of the answer sheet nor were the answers to the questions put on the website,” the officer said.