AMN
A special court in Delhi has ordered the framing of graft and criminal conspiracy charges against 11 former MPs, who were charge-sheeted in the infamous 2005 cash-for-question scam for allegedly taking money to ask questions in Parliament.
Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry said that charges for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy under IPC and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were prima-facie made out against these former Parliamentarians.
The court directed all these 12 accused to be present before it on 28 th of August for formally framing charges against them. Besides these ex-parliamentarians, two journalists of a web portal were also charge-sheeted for allegedly abetting the offence under the anti-graft law and were summoned by the trial court but the proceedings against them were quashed by the Delhi High Court.
The prosecution, represented through Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, alleged that they had misused their office as they were caught on camera seeking money during a sting operation for asking questions in Parliament.