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Himachal Pradesh
By Our Staff Correspondent
SHIMLA, JAN. 5. The Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded that the Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, immediately drop the Education Minister, Asha Kumari, from his Cabinet since charges have been framed against her in cases of corruption including an alleged land-grab case in Chamba. The party has been raising this issue both inside and outside the State Assembly for a long time but because of her close proximity to the Chief Minister she was not even removed during the last ministerial downsizing exercise in spite of representing a smaller district. "Three Ministers were removed from Kangra, the State's biggest district, but the tainted Ministers are being protected," alleged the BJP. Charges were framed against Asha Kumari and ten others yesterday by District and Sessions Judge P.D. Goel in Chamba in the case of forest land grab at Jandrighat near Dalhousie. Though the Education Minister who appeared in the Court personally refused to sign the documents of charges against her. Her plea to frame charges against her after January 20 was also rejected by the Court. The State Vigilance Department had registered a criminal case under section 420, 467, 468,471,120 B, 218 of IPC and section 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, against the Education Minister Asha Kumari, her husband Mr. Brijendra Singh and some revenue officials in December 2001. The case allegedly involves manipulation of tenancies, forged wills and forged powers of attorneys in connivance with revenue officials. The Minister and her husband were accused of grabbing 67 bighas of forest land worth crores of rupees with the help of some revenue officials. Ms. Kumari and her husband belong to the erstwhile royal family of Chamba.
The State unit of BJP has now made it a political issue and its leaders including Mr. Shanta Kumar have demanded the resignation of Ms. Asha Kumari since arrest warrants have been issued against her. In a statement he had said she should opt out of the Ministry till she is absolved of the charges against her "in keeping with the traditions of
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