Cash-for-query to haunt Congress?

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rajaram Pal is likely to be chargesheeted soon in the cash-for-query scam. This comes almost a year after Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar gave her permission to the Delhi Police for action against him last year.

The Delhi Police had sought her sanction to prosecute the MP after its probe confirmed Pal's role along with that of other former MPs in taking money for asking questions in Parliament. Sources in the crime branch said that the collection of "evidence" was almost over.

Earlier, the Ethics Committee, asked to look into the matter, held 11 MPs guilty who were expelled from the LS by then speaker Somnath Chatterjee. While a new Lok Sabha would have ended the issue, a high court order for probe into the scam led to a criminal case. The police has so far filed a chargesheet against 13 persons.