LUCKNOW: Senior
Samajwadi Party leader and Rampur MP,
Azam Khan, on Tuesday denied any role in Jal Nigam recruitment scam. Azam had been summoned by UP Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the DGP headquarters for recording his statement in the case.
During his stint as state urban development minister, Khan is accused of recruiting 1,350 people without the approval of Jal Nigam board.
On Tuesday, Director General (SIT) Rajendra Pal Singh told TOI, “In his statement, Azam Khan said he was not aware of any process and when we showed him approval bearing his signatures, he claimed that he was made to sign papers by then Jal Nigam MD P K Ashudani. The probe is nearing completion and some forensic reports are awaited for filing chargesheet.”
Azam was grilled for three hours and was asked a set of 20 questions, said sources.
The Yogi government had set up an inquiry in July 2017 following reports of recruitment scam in Jal Nigam between November 2016 and February 2017, while Azam was its chairman. The government also terminated 122 Jal Nigam assistant engineers in August 2017.
In 2018, the SIT had lodged an FIR accusing Azam Khan, managing director P K Ashudani, secretary S P Singh and nine other officials on charges of causing disappearance of evidence of offence, criminal breach of trust by public servant, cheating, criminal conspiracy and Prevention of Corruption Act.
SIT also detected anomaly in awarding the contract to conduct the online test to a Mumbai firm.