UP DM, SDM sought favours for Lalu, Probe ordered

The  Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a probe into allegations that two senior state government officials had called the special CBI judge and sought favours for RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

According to the official sources, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken a serious view of the reports to this effect and had ordered a high-level probe into the allegations.

Reports had claimed that Jalaun district magistrate Mannan Akhtar and sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Bhairpal Singh had phoned special CBI judge Shivpal Singh and sought leniency in a fodder scam case against Lalu.

The judge had also said before sentencing Lalu that the former had been receiving calls seeking  favours.

Adityanath has directed the commissioner of Jhansi division to conduct a probe into the matter and submit a report at the earliest.

The judge hails from Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun district, about 200 km  from here. Reports had said that the CBI judge had approached the district officials after his land at his village had reportedly been grabbed by some influential people.

Akhtar, however, rejected the allegations and claimed that he was not on duty on the day, when the call was reportedly made to the judge. The SDM also said that he had never spoken to the CBI judge.

Last month, the special CBI judge in Ranchi sentenced Lalu to three-and-a-half years  jail in  a fodder scam case.