An FIR has been lodged against former BSP minister Naseemudin Siddiqui by the Uttar Pradesh vigilance department for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Inspector of vigilance establishment at Allahabad, Bharatratna Varshney lodged an FIR against BSP national general secretary Siddiqui at Kotwali police station yesterday, Additional Superintendent of Police Swami Prasad said here.
Mr. Siddiqui, a BSP heavyweight and the party’s Muslim face, is facing charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The charges were probed by the vigilance department on the directives of the UP Lokayukta, home department sources said.
The open inquiry by the vigilance department had found that in comparison with Mr. Siddiqui’s income of Rs 69.96 lakh between 1997 and 2012, his expenditures were Rs 14.32 crore, sources said.
On July 2, the Uttar Pradesh government gave permission to the vigilance department to lodge FIR under the Anti- Corruption Act against three former BSP ministers — Siddiqui, Babu Singh Kushwaha and Ranganath Misra — following an inquiry ordered by the Lokayukta.
The vigilance inquiry had found Mr. Mishra's income between 2007-2012 to be Rs 1.57 crore, as compared to expenditure of Rs 7.61 crore, sources said.
In Mr. Kushwaha's case, the vigilance department had conducted an open probe following the Lokayuka's directive and submitted its report in April this year.
The vigilance report in all the three cases had recommended lodging FIRs against them.
