Lokayukta recommended Avadh Pal Singh Yadav’s sacking for nepotism.
Uttar Pradesh minister of state (independent charge) for animal husbandry and dairy development Avadh Pal Singh Yadav on Wednesday resigned following his indictment by the state Lokayukta for corruption.
The minister tendered his resignation to chief minister Mayawati. Yesterday, UP Lokayukta, Justice (retired) N K Mehrotra, had recommended the sacking of the minister after finding him guilty on corruption charges.
These charges relate to granting favours to his near and dear ones, instigating violence against rivals, extortion and committing fraud in revenue records.
In the recently-concluded monsoon session of the state Assembly, the opposition had raised the issue of Yadav’s alleged involvement in large-scale corruption and a murder case in his native Etah in western UP. The issue had caused heated arguments between the treasury and opposition benches with both trading charges against each other.
Earlier this month, an Etah court had directed the police to register a murder case against Yadav on an application moved by the brother of a security guard, Santosh, who was shot dead on June 10 by masked assailants. He was killed along with his employer, jeweller Vijay Verma and his son Mithun Verma, in Etah’s Jaithra town.
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The slain guard’s brother, Anurodh, had claimed the murders were masterminded by the minister. He alleged the minister’s two brothers — Chandra Pratap Singh, a ruling Bahujan Samaj Party legislator and Amarpal Singh Yadav, besides the minister's son Ranjit, were part of the murder conspiracy.
Anurodh had sought filing of a case of murder and criminal conspiracy against the minister, his two brothers and son. He further accused the police and local administration of not paying heed to his plea to book the minister.
Meanwhile, the state government said Yadav had resigned on moral grounds following adverse observations by the Lokayukta in his report so that a free and fair probe could be conducted.