IA NETWORK / NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of former UP chief secretary Neera Yadav in a land allotment scam in Noida but reduced her jail term from three to two years.
The court also upheld the conviction of former IAS officer Rajiv Kumar in the case and similarly modified his jail term from three to two years. Neera Yadav was the CEO of Noida Authority at the time of scam, and Rajiv Kumar was her deputy.
The CBI probe was ordered by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by one Noida Entrepreneurs Association in 1997. It was alleged that Yadav hatched a criminal conspiracy with Rajiv Kumar to change the land use of a plot which was earmarked for a guest house and also increased its area in violation of norms.
The probe agency had said that Yadav, during her tenure as Noida CEO, misused her official position as a public servant and got herself allotted a plot in violation of norms. It was also alleged that she got two plots allotted in the names of her two daughters, knowing full well that rules in Noida permitted only one plot of land to one family.