Indore court frames charges against BJP MLA on multi-crore land scam

INDORE: A special court on Wednesday framed charges against 17 persons, including BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola, in the alleged multi-crore Sugnidevi land scam of 2004.
Mendola, a close aide of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, had moved a petition before the court seeking a separate trial. Other accused, through different petitions, had sought discharge of charges claiming that permission for prosecution was not granted by the state government in the case.
Special Judge Balraj Kumar Paloda combined all the petitions and issued a 32-page order dismissing the pleas.He framed charges against Mendola and 16 others, including former Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) officials and alleged beneficiaries of the illicit land deal, under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.
The judge has fixed June 15 for the trial programme.
Deputy director prosecutions (special prosecution) Ashok Soni told TOI that permission was not required for prosecuting the 17 people charged with the offences. “Most of them are retired government servants, where prosecution sanction was not required,” he said.
On May 20, 2013, the Lokayukta had filed the charge-sheets against the accused. It had conducted probe into allegations made by former state minister Suresh Seth against Mendola and others.
IMC had given three acres of land on lease to Dhanalaxmi Chemical Industries for 30 years. Seth had alleged that Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was mayor of Indore in 2004, had allowed the land to pass on to Nanda Nagar Sakh Sahkari Sanstha Maryadit. The society reportedly paid the company Rs 1.28 crore against market value of Rs 65 crore at that time.
The court, on April 6, 2010 had asked the Lokayukta to carry out probe into charges leveled by Seth against Mendola, Kailash Vijayvargiya and others in the land scam and take appropriate steps thereafter.
Following the investigations, the Lokayukta had booked Ramesh Mendola but Vijayvargiya’s name did not figure in the FIR.