Express News Service
JAIPUR: RSS leader Nimbaram who is an accused in a bribery case launched by the Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court asking for the FIR against him to be quashed. The ‘Kshetriya Pracharak’ or regional publicist of the RSS in the state, Nimbaram is one of the four accused in a graft case involving alleged kickbacks of 20 crores in the Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation’s contract with a garbage collection firm. But Congress says that Nimbaram’s move proves that he is guilty and is only trying to save his skin.
In his plea before the High Court, Nimbaram has alleged that his name was being dragged into the issue due to political reasons. RSS and BJP leaders have repeatedly argued since the ACB booked him in June that Nimbaram is being dragged into the case only to defame a nationalist organisation.
“We have said in the petition that the purported Rs 20 crore commission deal recorded on a video tape was not between the named RSS leader Nimbaram and BVG company officials. He is being politically harassed by the Congress party,” said BJP legal cell lawyer GS Gill, who filed the petition on behalf of the RSS leader at the Jaipur bench of the high court.
He further added that political malice behind the case is “evident from the fact that the Congress has brought a resolution against the RSS. We have sought quashing of the FIR as the ACB has found no incriminating material against Nimbaram.” The petition argues that though Nimbaram was not seen speaking in the video, the ACB made him an accused only to please its political masters from the ruling Congress.
The ACB had registered the case on the basis of a video clip that surfaced on social media, in which the Mayor’s husband Rajaram Gurjar and a BVG representative were allegedly trying to strike a deal for a Rs 20 crore ‘commission’ from the firm for getting its payment of Rs 276 crore released from the municipal body. RSS regional Pracharak Nimbaram was also seen sitting with them in this video on the basis of which the ACB has made him an accused in this corruption case.
The ACB sent the videos for FSL examination after registering a preliminary enquiry (PE). Once the videos were certified as authentic, the ACB booked four people in this case, which includes RSS leader Nimbaram who was also seen in the video. The ACB has served two notices to Nimbaram but he is yet to respond to them and has not been spotted in Rajasthan for the past two months.
While the ACB has arrested Rajaram Gurjar, the Mayor’s husband and a representative of BVG (the waste management firm engaged in door-to-door garbage collection in Jaipur) on charges of corruption, the ruling Congress wants that even RSS leader Nimbaram should be arrested in this case. Congress leaders also question that if the RSS Pracharak is innocent and has done nothing objectionable, why is Nimbaram skipping a meeting with ACB officials.
After the RSS leader filed petition in the court the Congress chief in the state Govind Singh Dotasra has hit back and said that the move only proves that the Nimbaram is guilty conscious. At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday he remarked ,” our contention about his guilt is has been proved by his move to go to the court. Since he is guilty we wany strong action against him now that he has moved the court we will see how the legal process goes ahead.”
Leave a Reply