In response to the summons issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding the illegal mining case, Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, has agreed to participate in the interrogation via video conferencing but has cited his inability to physically attend the questioning in Delhi due to the upcoming elections, news agency IANS reported.
"He said that since elections are round the corner, he will not be able to make time for physical hearing but can appear through video conferencing. He has said that he was willing to cooperate in the investigation in the case," a member of his legal team was quoted as saying by IANS.
Expressing concern over the five-year gap since his last summons by the CBI, Akhilesh Yadav has raised questions regarding the timing and necessity of the current summons.
The CBI had summoned Akhilesh Yadav as a witness in relation to the illegal sand mining case in Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The agency had requested his appearance on Thursday.
The investigation focuses on the roles of Akhilesh Yadav and former cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati in the alleged irregularities surrounding the issuance of mining leases, purportedly in violation of the e-tendering process.
According to the FIR filed on January 2, 2019, following the directive of the Allahabad High Court, the CBI stated, "The role of then mining ministers concerned during the relevant period may be looked into during the course of investigation of the case."
Both Akhilesh Yadav and Gayatri Prajapati held the position of mining minister between 2012 and 2016, coinciding with the period of alleged irregularities in the mining of minor minerals.
On January 5, 2019, the CBI conducted searches at 14 locations across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh concerning the illegal mining case in Hamirpur between 2012 and 2016.
The searched premises included the residences of SP MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra and BSP leader Sanjay Dixit, as well as the residence of then Hamirpur District Magistrate B. Chandrakala, among others.
These locations, spanning Delhi, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Noida, Kanpur, and Lucknow, were associated with the 11 accused mentioned in the CBI FIR.
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