New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar’s secretary A.P. Pathak was Friday removed and repatriated after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided various premises he owns in a disproportionate assets case.
‘He has been removed with immediate effect,’ Rakhee Bakshee, Meira Kumar’s media advisor, told IANS.
Pathak joined the speaker’s office three months ago in June after due clearance from his parent ministry of road transport and highways, Bakshee said.
Pathak had joined the road transport and highways ministry as an engineer after clearing the Indian Engineering Services exam.
The CBI officers conducted searches against him in Delhi, Kanpur, Patna and Gurgaon.
Three properties each were raided in Delhi and Patna, said a CBI official.
The Delhi properties were at prime locations of Anand Niketan and Satya Niketan.
‘Another property was unearthed in Kanpur, one in Gurgaon and seven agricultural properties in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,’ the official said.
The CBI also found fixed deposits worth Rs.35 lakh, 10 life insurance policies, 33 bank accounts, five credit cards and other incriminating documents.
The complaint against Pathak was referred to the CBI by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in February this year, the official said.
‘We registered a case on Aug 31 against Pathak,’ he said.
The CVC got complaint against Pathak when he was director, Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), in the ministry of finance.
