Corruption complaints against Nitish Kumar admitted in court

Two complaints were filed in a special vigilance court on Wednesday charging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and others, including IG (Prisons) with misappropriation of public money in the purchase of medicines for prisoners in Patna and Gaya jails.

Senior lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed the complaints in the court of vigilance judge (Patna) Ajit Kumar Singh who admitted them and fixed March 29 as the next date of hearing.

The case was filed under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will) and 468(forgery for purpose of cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.

In both the complaints, Mr. Ojha alleged that prison department officials had purchased medicines for prisoners in different jails at rates much higher than the market price.

The Chief Minister, who also holds the additional portfolio of the state Home (prison) department, cannot escape responsibility, he said.

The names of IG (prisons) and jail superintendents of the two divisions (Patna and Gaya) also figure in the complaint case.

Earlier, Ojha had filed a similar complaint in a vigilance court at Muzaffarpur against Mr. Kumar and 26 others levelling similar charges against them for misappropriations in jails in north Bihar.