IAC 'Lokpal' to probe its members for graft

Three retired judges to investigate allegations

India Against Corruption(IAC) announced on Friday, a probe by three retired judges into the allegations against its members Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Damania and Mayank Gandhi, who are facing allegations related to illegal land purchase and change of land use, in a bid to prove the point that they are for a clean politics.

The three judges named for the task are former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court A P Shah and retired judges B H Marlapalle of Bombay High Court and Jaspal Singh of Delhi High Court.

All the three judges have been named ‘internal Lokpal’ (Ombudsman) for yet-to-be named political party floated the anti-graft agitators. The probe will start from Monday and will be completed in three months.

 “If any member is found guilty of any illegal or immoral activity, he would be expected to resign from the party,” said Kejrwal, while announcing the probe. The three activists,  Bhushan, Anjali and Gandhi, welcomed the probe.

Bhushan is facing allegations of buying land in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh for his educational trust and getting government permission for changing its land use.

Allegations against Anjali is of purchasing agricultural land in Kurjat, near Mumbai and changing its land use for sale as residential plots at high prices.

Gandhi faces allegations of helping a relative in real estate business through a contract for re-developing a South Mumbai market. The deal has been scrapped for irregularities by the Maharashtra government.

Kejrwal rejected the suggestion that Anjali should quit IAC. He said she could not influence the probe as she was not an office-bearer.

Bhushan said the government had not given anything and his organisation purchased the land to build an educational institution for which authorities gave them permission.
In Mumbai, Anjali and Gandhi told reporters that they were ready to face any probe. "If the probe finds us guilty, we will quit," they said.