NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday registered two "regular" cases against Maneka Gandhi and others for alleged abuse of official position in allocation of funds to certain non-government organisations during her tenure as Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government.

Forged documents

In the case pertaining to Alp Sankhayak Mridul Girls Inter-College Shiksha Samiti, investigations revealed that its manager had applied for a grant of Rs. 42 lakh to the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) in April 1999. The CBI found that the documents of the institution, submitted along with the application, were forged. It allegedly did not exist at the time of submission of the application.

Further probe revealed that the manager was sanctioned Rs.15 lakh as grant by the Governing Body at a meeting in October 1999, allegedly presided over by Ms. Gandhi. The college was inaugurated by Ms. Gandhi's son Varun in December 2000.

"The element of mens rea on the part of the former Minister is further indicated by the fact that she had also sanctioned Rs. 6 lakh to the same college from her MPLAD fund in August 2001, but just Rs. 4.75 lakh was released," said a CBI release.

The second case is regarding the Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust (GRWT) that was registered on March 8, 2000, with Ms. Gandhi's sister as its chairperson and a doctor friend of her family as its managing trustee.

The CBI release said: "The doctor wrote an undated letter to the Minister in which he fraudulently mentioned that the Trust was involved for a long time in social work and requested for grant of a minimum of 5 acres of land to start a nursing college."

Ms. Gandhi allegedly forwarded that letter to Pilibhit district magistrate in March 2000.

The magistrate selected land for the Trust and chairman of the Pilibhit Zila Panchayat conveyed his assent to the doctor in September 2000.

The doctor allegedly sought Rs. 2.18-crore grant for the nursing college from MAEF in 2001 and in its Governing Body meeting presided over by Ms. Gandhi, Rs. 50 lakh was allegedly sanctioned to the Trust and the condition of three years' post registration relaxed.

Investigations revealed that Ms. Gandhi allegedly sanctioned five ambulances from her MPLAD Fund to GRWT in 2002, for which Rs. 10.40 lakh was sanctioned.

But, the GRWT purchased two Mahindra DI Marshal Jeeps instead.

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