Court frames charges against Rao, 19 others in JMM MPs bribery case

A designated CBI court on Tuesday framed charges of criminal conspiracy and corruption against former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and 19 others, but dismissed petitions seeking summoning of Congress president Sitaram Kesri as an accused in the MPs bribery case.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke directed all the 20 accused to be present in the court on May 14 to plead guilty or otherwise to the charges.

Ruling that there was sufficient evidence on record, the judge framed charges against all the accused under section 120-b IPC read with sections 7, 12, 13 and 13(i)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Rao and former Union ministers Buta Singh and Satish Sharma, Congress MP V Rajeshwar Rao, former chief ministers Bhajan Lal of Haryana and M Veerappa Moily of Karnataka and his ministerial colleagues H M Revenna and Ramalinga Reddy and Bangalore-based liquor barons D K Adikeshavalu and Thimme Gowda were also charged for abetment of offence under section 12 of the PCA.

The case relates to the alleged conspiracy to defeat the July 28, 1993 no-confidence motion against the Rao government by paying a bribe of Rs 5 million each to 11 opposition MPs -- Simon Marandi, Shibhu Soren and Suraj Mandal of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Ajit Singh, Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav, Ram Sharan Yadav, Roshan Lal, Anadi Charan Das, Abhay Pratap Singh and Haji Ghulam Mohammed of the breakaway Janata Dal (Ajit) group. They would also be tried under section 7 and 13(2) of the PCA read with 13(1)(d).

Judge Bharihoke had reserved his verdict last week after reply by CBI counsel A K Dutt, rebutting arguments that the three chargesheets in the case were self-contradictory and based on ''hearsay evidence''.

Winding up his reply on April 28, the CBI counsel stated that there was sufficient evidence to frame charges against all the 20 accused for hatching and executing a criminal conspiracy to defeat through illegal means the no-confidence motion against the Rao government.

Originally, the CBI had named 21 accused in the case, but Bharihoke had on April 8 allowed the plea of Shailendra Mahato to turn an approver, which had been supported by the CBI.

In his confessional statement, Mahato had admitted that he and three other then JMM MPs -- Suraj Mandal, Simon Marandi and Shibhu Soren -- had received Rs 5 million each for voting against the no-confidence motion.

Mahato had also stated that he had learnt that seven breakaway Janata Dal (Ajit) group MPs were also paid similar amounts.

He had also stated that Kesri, then Congress treasurer, was aware of the conspiracy and had assured the JMM MPs in the Central Hall of Parliament, hours before the voting, that the promises made to them by Rao would be honoured.

UNI