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PIL demands probe against central ministers, makes Anna party

By IANS,

Mumbai : A Pune-based social activist Wednesday filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court demanding a probe against some central ministers for corruption, and has sought to make Anna Hazare and his aides party to the case, a legal official said.

In his petition, activist Hemant Patil has cited major scandals like the 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games, Satyam and others which have hit the headlines in the past few years, according to his lawyer R.N. Kachave.

Patil’s petition is based on the recent allegations by Team Anna against several union cabinet ministers who it claimed were involved in corruption, Kachave said.

“We have made Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan party to our petition. We will, through the court, request them to submit their evidence to facilitate a proper probe,” Kachave told IANS.

Both Patil and Kachave pointed out that if Team Anna has so much evidence as it claimed, then there is no need to carry out agitations – “They can simply approach any court and demand an investigation based on the evidences they claim to have,” Kachave pointed out.

Patil in his petition said well-known politicians are involved in some way or the other in these scams, according to his lawyer.

“The common man has been a victim and witness of corruption… Hence, time has come that there is a proper and thorough probe into each and every case of corruption to bring the guilty to book,” Patil, who is president of Rashtriya Bhrashtachar Virodhi Janshakti, said in his petition.

Patil contended that as per a compilation, the total amount of public money involved in various scams in the past two decades or so runs into thousands of crores rupees.

He has included the ministers named by Team Anna in his petition, which will come up for hearing after the court reopens next week after summer vacation.

In January, Patil had filed a PIL against Hazare alleging that he played a “main role” in corruption and irregularities in four public trusts of which he was a member. The Bombay High Court directed him to approach the Charity Commissioner.