High Court stays proceedings

Jaipur: In a relief to former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday stayed the police investigation and the proceedings on an FIR registered against her in a land scam case earlier this year. Justice Karni Singh Rathore of the Jaipur Bench passed the order on a petition filed by Ashok Parnami, MLA, who is one of the accused named in the FIR.

On January 9, 2009, an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Jaipur had directed the Gandhi Nagar police to register the case against Ms. Raje, Mr. Parnami, former minister Pratap Singh Singhvi and others in the controversial Deendayal Upadhyay Trust land scam.

Earlier on November 10, 2006, a complaint filed by Shriprakash Kukkad had alleged that land measuring 7693 sq metres was allotted during the BJP government at a concessional five percent rate of the then prevailing market price in prime location near Civil Lines to the trust headed by Vasundhara Raje as its chairman prior to it came into existence.

The land was sought on behalf of the Trust in March 2006 and the Trust came into existence after one month on April14, 2006, the complainant alleged, adding even the application charges were not deposited by the trust with the JDA.

The court had then directed the police to register an FIR and investigate the matter. After an investigation, the police filed a final report absolving all the accused therein which was challenged by the complainant by way of an application under Section 159 of CrPC.

After the Congress government came to power, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asked the court to allow the police to re-investigate the matter. PTI