Madhya Pradesh HC again asks Lokayukta police to probe disproportionate assets allegations against BJP MLA

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh High Court has again directed the Lokayukta police to probe the allegations of amassing disproportionate assets against BJP MLA and state OBC commission chairman Gauri Shankar Bisen.

With the direction, a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Vishal Mishra on Wednesday disposed of a petition seeking an investigation against Bisen, said Deputy Advocate General Swapnil Ganguly.

Bisen, a vice president of MP BJP unit, is a seven-time MLA from Balaghat. He has also been a member of the Lok Sabha twice.

Former MLA Kishore Samrite had filed a Public Interest Litigation against Bisen, who was then a state minister, alleging that he had accumulated wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income between 1984 and 2012.

The HC ordered the court's registry to send a copy of the petition to the anti-corruption Lokayukta police so that an inquiry could be carried out.

Bisen moved the Supreme Court against the order, and the apex court directed the HC to hear the case again, DAG Ganguly said.

The HC again heard the matter and disposed of the plea saying it can not examine allegations of financial nature under the provisions under Article 226 of the Constitution under which the petition had been filed.

Article 226 empowers the HC to issue certain kinds of orders or writs to protect fundamental rights or for other reasons.

Hence the Lokayukta is directed to probe the allegations, the HC said.