Date:20/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/20/stories/2006062019221200.htm

National

Court notice to U.P. over alleged extortion

Siddharth Narrain

Rajinder Rana misused his power, alleges petitioner

NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court vacation Bench, comprising Justices A.R. Lakshmanan and Altamas Kabir, on Monday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government on a petition, which alleged that Minister for Women Welfare and Culture (independent charge) Rajinder Singh Rana had resorted to extortion by misusing his power under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

Petitioner Arun Rana alleged that Mr. Rajinder Rana, Deoband MLA, used the MPLADS to extract Rs. 3.2 lakh from him. He said he paid the money through three separate cheques, between January and March 2003.

Mr. Arun Rana said Mr. Rajinder Rana forced him to lend his Scorpio jeep for two days, and had not returned the vehicle till date. Mr. Rajinder Rana had extorted money from almost all businessmen in the area, the petitioner said, adding that despite repeated representations to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, no action had been taken against Mr. Rajinder Rana.

The petitioner said Mr. Rajinder Rana did not allow the local police to investigate the matter fairly. Alleging that the local police raided his house repeatedly without disclosing a reason, the petitioner urged the Supreme Court to transfer a criminal case he had filed against Mr. Rajinder Rana in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate Saharanpur to a competent court in Delhi.