Paving the way for a trial, a court here on Thursday framed charges against 11 former MPs in connection with the 2005 cash-for-query case.
Delhi Police has chargesheeted the 11 — Chhatarpal Singh Lodha (BJP), Anna Saheb M.K. Patil (BJP), Pradeep Gandhi (BJP), Suresh Chandel (BJP), Chandra Pratap Singh (BJP), Ram Sewak Singh (Congress), Manoj Kumar (RJD), Narender Kumar Kushwaha (BSP), Lal Chandra Kol (BSP), Y.G. Mahajan (BJP) and Raja Ram Pal (BSP) — for allegedly taking money to ask questions in Parliament.
After the accused pleaded not guilty, Special Judge Kiran Bansal fixed January 12, 2018, to begin the recording of the statement of prosecution witnesses in the case.
The court on August 10 said that prima facie charges dealing with criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act were made out against the accused.
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The court has also framed charges against one Ravinder Kumar, while proceedings against one of the accused has been dropped as he has died.
Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava alleged that the former Members of Parliament misused their office. They were caught on camera, during a sting operation, seeking money for asking questions in Parliament in what came to be known as cash-for-query scam.
(IANS)
