FIR lodged against ex-BSP Minister for disproportionate assets

BANDA (UP): An FIR has been lodged against former BSP minister Naseemudin Siddiqui by vigilance department for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.


Inspector of vigilance establishment at Allahabad, Bharatratna Varshney lodged FIR against BSP national general secretary Siddiqui at Kotwali police station yesterday, Additional Superintendent of Police Swami Prasad said here.

On July 2, the Uttar Pradesh government gave permission to the vigilance department to lodge FIR under the Anti- Corruption Act against three former BSP ministers -- Siddiqui, Babu Singh Kushwaha and Rangnath Misra -- following inquiry ordered by the Lokayukta.

Siddiqui, a BSP heavyweight and party's Muslim face, is facing charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The charges were probed by the vigilance department on the directives of the UP Lokayukta, home department sources said.

The open inquiry by the vigilance had found that in comparison with Siddiqui's income of Rs 69.96 lakh between 1997 and 2012, his expenditures were Rs 14.32 crore, sources said.

Similarly, in case of Mishra, the vigilance inquiry found his income between 2007 -2012 as Rs 1.57 crore as compared to which his spendings were Rs 7.61 crore, sources said.

In case of Kushwaha also, the Lokayukta had recommended a probe following which the vigilance department had conducted an open probe and submitted its report in April this year.

The vigilance report in all the three cases had recommended lodging FIRs against them.