Newly appointed Rajasthan lokayukta Justice SS Kothari is at the centre of controversy for attending a dinner party on Wednesday hosted by a person, who is not only facing a CBI probe but also a case is pending against him in the lokayukta office for the past two years. Anti-Corruption Bureau of State police is also probing another case against him.
Sumer Singh Bothra, honorary secretary of about dozen educational bodies, had thrown a party in honour of Kothari, who has taken over as new lokayukta only a couple of days back, at a farmhouse in the upscale Ajmer road area.
But this dinner became controversial as Bothra is facing several cases of cheating and corruption, which are being probed by the CBI, lokayukta and the ACB.
The dinner was attended by several dignitaries, including leaders of the Congress and the BJP besides bureaucrats. According to official sources, in 2005 Bothra along with KB Sharma, Principal of Subodh College, submitted fake documents before the Education Department to get recognition for SS Jain Subodh Women BEd College. On the complaint of the department, the case was handed over to the CBI, which has already filed its chargesheet against both of them in a special court.
Sources said that similarly the ACB is also probing a case of appropriating funds amounting Rs 40 lakh of Subodh College against Bothra. In this case, Principal Sharma is also an accused along with some administrative staff of the college.
Sources also said that in 2011, one laxmikant Sharma sent a complaint against Kothari to the State lokayukta’s office alleging that how Bothra on the basis of forged documents was able to appoint KB Sharma as Principal of the college.
“After receiving the invitation for the dinner, I contacted Justice Kothari to tell him the criminal background of Bothra and pending of several probes against him. I persuaded him not to attend the dinner as it would bring a bad name to him in person and to the office of lokayukta,” Man Singh Khandela, general secretary of Citizens Association for Rights told The Pioneer. Khandela is also a former lecturer of Subodh College.
All efforts to reach Justice Kothari for his comments by this correspondent failed.