Akhilesh Yadav May Skip CBI Summons in Illegal Mining Case, Sources Suggest

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is considering skipping the CBI summons scheduled for Thursday in connection with a five-year-old illegal mining case. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister is listed as a witness in the case. Party sources indicate that Yadav has no plans to travel to Delhi and is scheduled to attend a meeting of the PDA (Picchda, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak) at the party office in Lucknow.

While responding to questions about the CBI notice, party spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury stated that Yadav is not going to Delhi and will attend a meeting in Lucknow. The CBI notice, issued under section 160 of CrPC, summons Yadav to appear before the agency on February 29. This section allows the police to call witnesses in a probe.

Yadav faces allegations related to the issuance of mining leases in violation of the e-tendering process during his tenure as chief minister. The cases were ordered for investigation by the Allahabad High Court. The accusations involve illegal mining activities during 2012-16, with claims that licenses were renewed despite a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal.

Reacting to the notice, Yadav criticized the BJP, stating that the Samajwadi Party is a prime target for the ruling party. He suggested that such notices often coincide with elections and questioned the BJP’s nervousness, asking why they are concerned if they have accomplished significant work in the past decade.