Former minister Alamgir Alam, accused of money laundering of crores of rupees through tender scam, got a big shock on Tuesday. Ranchi PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) special court has given its verdict on his discharge petition and rejected it. On Monday, after the arguments on behalf of ED and former minister Alamgir Alam were completed, the court had reserved its decision. Earlier, the court has rejected the discharge petition of other accused in this case, Jahangir Alam and Sanjeev Lal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in May this year arrested Jharkhand Rural Development Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam on the second day of interrogation in a money laundering case.
The agency had last week arrested Alam’s Officer on Special Duty Sanjiv Kumar Lal and his domestic help Jahangir Alam after the seizure of more than Rs 36 crore in cash from a flat linked to them.
Later in June Alamgir Alam, arrested in an alleged tender scam, resigned as a Cabinet Minister from Champai Soren government. Alam on June 10 also resigned from the post of Congress legislative Party (CLP) in Jharkhand Assembly.
His resignation came after three days when Mr. Soren took all the ministerial posts from him and made him Minister without portfolio. Mr. Alam was handling four departments which included rural development, parliamentary affairs and rural works and panchayati raj.
Nisat Alam, the wife of former Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, won the Pakur seat by the highest margin of 86,029, officials said.
She polled 1,55,827 votes, defeating AJSU Party's Azhar Alam, they said.
Several central leaders had targeted Alamgir Alam, taken into custody by the ED on May 15, during their multiple public rallies, urging people to 'throw out corrupt forces like him.'
The Jharkhand Assembly will witness the maximum number of women MLAs. Out of 26 women candidates fielded by the INDIA bloc and NDA together, a dozen have made it to the Assembly. In 2019, the Assembly had 10 women MLAs.
Every Assembly in the state has seen an increasing number of women MLAs since Jharkhand was formed 24 years ago. In 2000, it had three woman MLAs, while in 2005 the number rose to eight and in 2014, the number went up to nine.
Among the 12 elected, a maximum of five women MLAs came on the Congress ticket, while four, belong to BJP ticket. The three remaining women MLAs are from the JMM. They include Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana, former BJP minister Dr Louis Marandi and Sabita Mahato.
