Hearing of case against Maneka Gandhi on November 3

A special court has fixed November 3 to consider a CBI report favouring closure of a case lodged against Union minister Maneka Gandhi and two others for sanctioning Rs 50 lakh grant to a trust allegedly in a “fraudulent” manner in 2001. The court had earlier refused to accept the closure filed by the probe agency and had asked the CBI to further investigate the matter.

However, the CBI had again approached the court saying “allegations levelled against Ms Gandhi and two others could not be substantiated”. Senior BJP leader Gandhi is now the women and child development minister.

A case was lodged against Ms Gandhi and two others for sanctioning `50 lakh grant to a trust allegedly in a fraudulent manner. In 2008, the court had rejected the closure report of the CBI and had directed the probe agency to further probe the matter.

The FIR had been lodged against Ms Gandhi, Dr F.U. Siddiqui, former secretary of Maulana Azad Education Foundation, and Dr Vijay Sharma, former Managing Trustee of Gandhi Rural Welfare Trust under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.