Anna Hazare Moves HC for CBI Probe Into ‘Sugar Coop Factories Scam’

Mumbai: Activist Anna Hazare has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into what he termed as “Rs 25,000 crore sugar cooperative factories scam”.

Hazare filed two civil PILs and a criminal PIL asking a CBI probe. The criminal PIL is listed for hearing on January 6 before a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka.

The petitions alleged that fraud had been committed in governance by first burdening sugar cooperative factories with debts and thereafter selling these sick units at a throwaway price, causing loss of Rs 25,000 crore to the government, cooperative sector and members of public.

The petitions also prayed for appointment of a court receiver to take possession of all the properties held by people against whom a prima facie case exists in the alleged scam.

The petitions also demanded an inquiry by a Special Investigating Team (SIT) into the alleged role of “politicians into the sugar cooperative scam, including NCP President and former Union Agriculture Sharad Pawar and his nephew and former Irrigation Minister Ajit Pawar”.

The petitions name both members of the Pawar family as respondents.

The petitions also demanded setting up of a Commission of Inquiry to probe into the alleged illegal sale of sugar cooperative factories in Maharashtra either by the government or the cooperative banks.

The petitions further demanded an inquiry by CBI into the allegations of corruption and misuse of government and cooperative funds in the scam involving lease and sale of cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra which caused a loss of Rs 25,000 crore to the exchequer.

The petitioner stated that the statistics and facts mentioned in the petition have been collected from authorities through Right to Information Act.

Hazare pleaded that “the scam” had engulfed the entire state and pulled it back by nearly 50 years causing losses to the government and putting the state under financial debts to the tune of hundreds of crores of rupees.