CBI books former UPA minister Jayanthi Natarajan in forest land case
Last Updated IST
Jayanthi Natarajan. File photo.
Former Congress leader Jayanthi Natarajan was on Saturday accused by the CBI of abusing her official powers while serving as the environment minister in the UPA government to divert forest land in Jharkhand for a mining project.
The CBI, after registering an FIR, raided her premises in Chennai as the sleuths were looking for documents in the case in which she is alleged to have given her consent for diversion of land in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, ignoring the advice of then Director General of Forests and directions of the Supreme Court. The move was violative of forest conservation law.
The CBI officials stated that Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, from whom she took over as environment minister, had rejected the land conversion proposal. Natarajan overturned the decision after assuming office in 2011.
"Jayanthi Natarajan, the then Minister of State for Environment and Forests, accorded the approval for diversion of 55.79 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use to ECL, though the same had been rejected by the earlier Minister of State...without any change in the circumstances after rejection," read the FIR.
The leader from Tamil Nadu had to step down as environment minister in December 2013 following her controversial decision.
The agency has charged her with graft under the Prevention of Corruption Act, for hatching criminal conspiracy and abusing her official position, which are offences under the Indian Penal Code. The sleuths have also named Umang Kejriwal, the then managing director of Electrosteel Casting Limited, in the case.
Multi-location search
Searches at different locations in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Ranchi and Odisha's Sundergarh went on late into the evening to ascertain more facts in the case.
Having remained with Congress for three-decades, Natarajan had quit the Congress in January 2015 after her attempts to crossover to the BJP had failed. She had attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, blaming him for first directing her to protect the environment but later publicly rebuking her, prior to 2014 elections, for want of corporate patronage.
Natarajan overturned the decision after assuming office in 2011.
“Jayanthi Natarajan, the then Minister of State for Environment and Forests, accorded the approval for diversion of 55.79 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use to ECL, though the same had been rejected by the earlier Minister of State...without any change in the circumstances after rejection,” read the FIR.
The CBI, after registering an FIR, raided her premises in Chennai as the sleuths were looking for documents in the case in which she is alleged to have given her consent for diversion of land in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, ignoring the advice of then Director General of Forests and directions of the Supreme Court. The move was violative of forest conservation law.
The CBI officials stated that Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, from whom she took over as environment minister, had rejected the land conversion proposal. Natarajan overturned the decision after assuming office in 2011.
"Jayanthi Natarajan, the then Minister of State for Environment and Forests, accorded the approval for diversion of 55.79 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use to ECL, though the same had been rejected by the earlier Minister of State...without any change in the circumstances after rejection," read the FIR.
The leader from Tamil Nadu had to step down as environment minister in December 2013 following her controversial decision.
The agency has charged her with graft under the Prevention of Corruption Act, for hatching criminal conspiracy and abusing her official position, which are offences under the Indian Penal Code. The sleuths have also named Umang Kejriwal, the then managing director of Electrosteel Casting Limited, in the case.
Multi-location search
Searches at different locations in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Ranchi and Odisha's Sundergarh went on late into the evening to ascertain more facts in the case.
Having remained with Congress for three-decades, Natarajan had quit the Congress in January 2015 after her attempts to crossover to the BJP had failed. She had attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, blaming him for first directing her to protect the environment but later publicly rebuking her, prior to 2014 elections, for want of corporate patronage.
Natarajan overturned the decision after assuming office in 2011.
“Jayanthi Natarajan, the then Minister of State for Environment and Forests, accorded the approval for diversion of 55.79 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use to ECL, though the same had been rejected by the earlier Minister of State...without any change in the circumstances after rejection,” read the FIR.