UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (Express Photo: Pradip Das/Files) UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (Express Photo: Pradip Das/Files)

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into media reports about alleged calls made by the district magistrate (DM) and a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Jalaun district to Justice Shivpal Singh, who is presiding over a special CBI court in Ranchi, “in favour of” RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the fodder scam case.

The inquiry has been handed over to Commissioner, Jhansi division, Amit Gupta, to probe alleged claims made by the two officers concerned, who have maintained that they had discussed nothing but matters related to a land dispute in Jalaun, the judge’s native place.

“There were reports in the media about alleged calls made by the DM and SDM of Jalaun to a judge of a special CBI court. The chief minister has asked divisional commissioner of Jhansi to inquire into the allegations and submit a report,” said Mrityunjay Kumar, media advisor to Adityanath.

A senior government official said that DM Mannan Akhtar and SDM Bhairpal Singh have refuted the allegations. “Since the inquiry has been ordered, the facts will be clear once it is completed,” the official added. Akhtar, a 2011 batch IAS officer who was made DM of Jalaun in September last year in an administrative reshuffle, told The Indian Express, “I never made any call to the judge either from my personal or my official number. I have been here just for four months and he had come to meet us in November in connection with his land dispute in the district. Nothing else was discussed.” He further said that he would file a defamation case against the concerned media houses for publishing such reports.

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