In a major respite for Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, a division bench of Rajasthan high court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking investigation into the charges of alleged corruption against him.
The PIL was filed by Shrikrishan Kukkad, a lawyer in Sri Ganganagar, after the opposition BJP accused the Gehlot government of awarding heavy-infrastructure works and hotel building contracts to firms which had employed his son Vaibhav Gehlot as legal consultant. Allegations were also levelled against Gehlot for allegedly benefitting his daughter and son-in-law, both residents of Mumbai. In the PIL, filed April 30, Kukkad had sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into contracts and projects awarded to business groups linked to chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his family.
When the court asked for documentary proof of the allegations, the petitioner failed to do so. The division bench of chief justice Arun Mishra and justice Prashant Aggarwal dismissed the PIL and said: "We are of the considered opinion that no ground is made out for investigation against chief minister."