recruitment scam bhopal court grants bail to digvijay singh

New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijay Singh granted bail by a Bhopal court in connection with Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha secretariat recruitment scam case.

A local court on Friday had issued a arrest warrant against the Congress leader in connection with Recruitment Scam which took place during his tenure as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

"The Madhya Pradesh police can arrest me if they want. I will surrender before the court on Saturday. I was about to go to Delhi but I have cancelled that also and now I will go to Bhopal," Digvijay had said.

"This is a 22-year-old scam and it is inevitable that the state government, who is already worried about the Vyapam scam, will target me. In those appointments there was an order by the Cabinet and not alone of mine," he said.

Special Sessions Judge Kashinath Singh issued the warrant after the Congress general secretary, an accused in the scam, did not turn up in the court where a 169-page supplementary charge sheet was filed on Friday.

The seven other accused, including KK Kaushal and AK Pyasi - who appeared in the court – were immediately granted bail after they furnished a personal security bond of Rs 30,000 each. Kaushal and Pyasi were employees of the Secretariat.

In February last year, the Jahangirabad police had registered a case against Singh, former Speaker Sriniwas Tiwari and others for alleged forgery, conspiracy, cheating, and misuse of office as well as offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act following a complaint filed by the Assembly Secretariat about irregularities in recruitment between 1993 and 2003.

A total of 24 people are accused in the case. Last year, Singh had reportedly told investigators that all recruitment in the Secretariat during his tenure were done with the approval of State Cabinet and as per prescribed rules.

The accused have been charged with forgery, cheating, conspiracy and misuse of office as well as offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

(With PTI inputs)

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