Former JMM MP Shailendra Mahato, an accused in the multi-crore MPs bribery case, was yesterday granted pardon and made an approver in the case by a trial court here.
Special judge Ajit Bharihoke in his order said allowing Mahato to become an approver in the case would help the prosecution in collecting further evidence.
Mahato, in his confessional statement recorded on March 22, had admitted to having received Rs 40 lakhs as bribe to vote against the July 1993 no-confidence motion to save the Narasimha Rao government. He requested the trial court that he be pardoned and made an approver.
Mahato had also requested the court that government could also confiscate the bribe money deposited in his bank account.
Besides Mahato, there are 20 other accused in the case, including former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, two former chief ministers, Bhajan Lal of Haryana and Veerappa Moily of Karnataka, two former Union ministers Satish Sharma and Ajit Singh.
Bharihoke in his 14-page order said since this is a case of conspiracy based upon circumstantial evidence... It has become necessary to obtain the evidence of the applicant-accused (Mahato) to throw light upon the fact and circumstances of the case and the role played by the accused persons.
Therefore, invoking my powers under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, I hereby allow the application and tender pardon to accused Shailendra Mahato on the condition of his making full and true disclosure of all the circumstances within his knowledge relating to the offences and to every other person concerned, he said in his order. I am of the view that role played by the conspirators in this game is much grave as compared to the role of the members of Parliament who have allegedly received the bribe, Bharihoke said. He further said the evidence in the case was weak in nature and therefore, I feel that it is necessary to take help of the evidence of applicant in order to throw light upon various unexplained aspects of this case.
