Supreme Court seeks details of NRHM scam cases from CBI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today asked CBI to furnish details like the number of cases and accused and the present status of cases relating to the multi-crore rupees National Rural Health Mission ( NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of justices T S Thakur and R Banumathi, which was hearing a bunch of petitions of several accused, asked the probe agency to provide complete details to it on July 14.

The court has asked Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, representing CBI, to furnish information like the total number of cases filed by it and the number of accused and the present status of these matters in a tabular chart form.

It has been alleged that huge sum has been siphoned off by politicians, bureaucrats and doctors from the funds meant for the NRHM, a central government scheme meant to provide health care facilities to people in rural areas.

As many as five persons had died or were allegedly murdered in an attempt to cover up the large-scale irregularities in the case.

Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former UP cabinet minister during the Bahujan Samaj Party rule, was arrested on March 3, 2012 and is still languishing in jail.

Kushwaha has recently moved the apex court seeking bail, which was dismissed on February 13, with the court saying the allegations against him were very "serious" and it was a "good case for dismissal".

The NRHM scam cases are being investigated by the CBI which has submitted charge sheet against the accused persons. The trial is going on in a CBI court at Ghaziabad.