Lokpal scraps corruption complaint against Nishikant Dubey

Anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal has dismissed a graft complaint against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and termed the allegations as “frivolous” and “vexatious”.

In its 134-page order, the Lokpal said the complainant -- ex-IPS officer Amitabh Thakur -- has failed to make out any case to persuade it to proceed against Dubey regarding the allegation of acquisition of disproportionate assets than the known sources of his income.

“The allegations made against RPS (Respondent Public Servant) are frivolous and vexatious, including the complainant indulging in whataboutery,” said the order issued on Tuesday by a Lokpal bench, headed by its chairperson Justice A M Khanwilkar.

Lucknow-based Thakur, who is also the national president of Azad Adhikar Sena party, had in May last year filed a complaint against Dubey alleging acquisition of disproportionate assets by him. As the matter progressed, the complainant, who relied on affidavits filed by Dubey during elections for the years 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024, kept on improvising the allegations in his complaint, the order noted.

Thakur had in his complaint claimed that while the movable and immovable properties of Dubey have remained more or less constant during the given period, “that of his wife Mrs Anamika Gautam have increased by leaps and bounds”.

Terming the complaint as frivolous, Dubey, in its response had denied all the allegations.

He said that his wife is a professional engaged in the business of providing consultancy services and has been filing her income tax returns on a regular basis.

Ahead of one of the hearings late last year, the complainant requested a grant of “appropriate monetary compensation” for him to attend a hearing, claiming it was a “reasonable request, being an informant and to assist the Bench in his fight against corruption”.

Thakur said if it was not possible to provide monetary support, then the hearing be organised online to enable the complainant to attend it, which the Lokpal said “was not acceptable”.

While deciding the case, the anti-corruption ombudsman said that the focus of the complainant has mostly been on a substantial increase of value of assets held by Dueby’s wife.

“We find force in the stand taken by RPS (Dubey) that the increase in the value of assets of his wife is not attributable to acquisition of additional assets but mainly because of escalation in market value...,” the order said.

The Lokpal agreed with Dubey’s plea that the complainant is persecuting him by resorting to multiple frivolous and vexatious proceedings before different forums and that the complaint is politically motivated and replete with personal vendetta.

“To sum up, we conclude that the complainant has failed to make out any case, to persuade us to proceed against the RPS regarding the allegation of acquisition of disproportionate assets than the known sources of his income,” said the order signed by five other Lokpal members.

The allegations made against RPS (Dubey, who is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Jharkhand Godda) are frivolous and vexatious, including the complainant indulging in whataboutery, it said.

The Lokpal also discharged a show-cause notice issued to Thakur for making public the content of the complaint.

“We leave it to the wisdom of RPS to proceed against the complainant on that account, including on the matter in issue in the show cause notice regarding making the contents of the complaint public to the prejudice of the RPS and affecting the integrity of the processes pending the complaint, by way of appropriate action, if so advised. We say no more,” the order said.

The complaint is accordingly, disposed of as being devoid of merit, it said. “The show cause notice issued to the complainant also stands discharged, with liberty to the RPS to pursue his grievance against the complainant about breach of privacy or reputation, by way of appropriate proceedings, if so advised,” the order added. Thakur is currently lodged in Deoria District Jail, Uttar Pradesh.

He was arrested on December 10, last year, for allegedly abusing his position as SP Deoria in 1999 to fraudulently secure an industrial plot in the name of his wife, using fabricated documents.