CBI Summons Akhilesh Yadav in Illegal Mining Case
Deccan ChronicleNew Delhi/Lucknow: The CBI has summoned Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as a "witness" to record his statement on Thursday in illegal mining cases registered five years ago. It is alleged that public servants allowed illegal mining during 2012-16, the period when Mr Yadav was chief minister and illegally renewed licences despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal on mining. The CBI claimed that on February 17, 2013, the leases were granted by Hamirpur district magistrate B. Chandrakala after getting approval from the chief minister's office in violation of its 2012 e-tender policy, which was ratified by the Allahabad high court on January 29 that year. The CBI had carried out searches at 14 locations in January 2019 in connection with its FIR against 11 people, including Hamirpur district magistrate, SP MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Dixit, who unsuccessfully contested the 2017 Assembly election on a BSP ticket, to probe the alleged illegal mining of minor minerals in Hamirpur district during 2012-16.