Court asks CBI to trace PIL mover in Koda scam

RANCHI - The Jharkhand High Court Tuesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to trace and bring before it Durga Oraon on whose public interest litigation (PIL) a probe was ordered in the multi-crore-rupee scam allegedly involving former chief minister Madhu Koda.

A division bench of Justice Bhagawati Prasad and Justice D.N. Patel directed the CBI to present Durga Oraon before it as the state police had failed to bring him Tuesday.

The high court had directed the state police chief to bring Durga Oraon before it Aug 18.

The police had failed to trace Oraon — who had filed the PIL and sought a CBI probe in the assets of Koda and six former ministers.

The police had put out an advertisement in local newspapers appealing Durga Oraon to contact them.

The high court Aug 4 ordered a CBI probe against Koda, who was the chief minister between 2006-08, and five former ministers for amassing assets more than their known sources of income, and asked Durga Oraon’s lawyer to bring him before the court. When the lawyer failed, the court directed the police to present him by Tuesday.

Koda and three of his former ministerial colleagues — Enos Ekka, Harinarayan Rai and Kamlesh Singh — are in jail in the graft case. They were arrested by the vigilance bureau last year. The vigilance bureau has filed a charge sheet against them.