Jaya Bachchan’s membership of the Rajya Sabha has come under a cloud following a representation made by the Principal Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, R.P. Pandey, to the SSP of Lucknow to file a criminal case against her for allegedly concealing information in the affidavit submitted by her at the time of nomination on June 1, 2006.
The Samajwadi Party MP has been charged with mentioning only one of the three plots of land owned by her husband and film actor, Amitabh Bachchan, at Daulatpur village, Fatehpur tehsil in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.
The inquiry, on a complaint lodged by an advocate of Barabanki, Amir Haider, with the Election Commission of India on June 28, 2006, was conducted by Mr. Pandey who was the Returning Officer of the Rajya Sabha by-election. .
State Additional Director-General of Police, Law and Order, Brij Lal, told journalists that legal opinion was being sought by the Lucknow SSP on the plea made by the Principal Secretary of the Vidhan Sabha. He denied that an FIR had been lodged against Ms. Bachchan.
Ms. Bachchan was elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha by-election held in June 2006.
After a complaint was lodged with the Election Commission by Mr. Haider, the poll panel sent a letter to Mr. Pandey on August 17, 2006 for taking suitable action in his capacity as the Returning Officer. Subsequently, Ms. Bachchan’s affidavit was examined by Mr. Pandey, who found that only one agriculture land was mentioned by her. According to him, the ‘khasra’ number of the land was not mentioned in the affidavit.
A letter was sent to the Samajwadi MP by the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat on February 5, 2007 asking her to clarify the position. In her reply dated March 19, 2007, Ms. Bachchan stated that Mr. Amitabh Bachchan’s name on plot number 711 and plot number 793 in Daulatpur village, Mohammadpur pargana, Fatehpur tehsil in Barabanki district was mentioned by the Naib Tehsildar of Fatehpur, vide his order, dated July 4, 2006. Hence, there was no basis for mentioning the two plots of land in the affidavit.
To clear the confusion, the District Magistrate of Barabanki was asked to send a status report on the plots in question. In his reply , the DM noted that in relation to ‘khasra’ numbers 711 and 793 in Daulatpur village, the sale deed was made in the name of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan on May 15, 2006 by the power of attorney holder, Vinay Kumar Shukla.
As regards the other plot, Gaata number 702, the DM said the land was in the name of Mr. Amitabh, son of Mr. Harivansh Rai. The dispute on the land was also mentioned by the DM.