Cash-for-query: Court orders framing of charges against 11 ex-MPs

New Delhi Aug 10 (IANS) A court here on Thursday ordered framing of charges against 11 former parliamentarians in connection with the 2005 cash-for-query case.

Delhi Police have chargesheeted 11 former MPs -- Chhatarpal Singh Lodha Anna Saheb M.K. Patil Pradeep Gandhi Suresh Chandel Chandra Pratap Singh Ram Sewak Singh Manoj Kumar Narender Kumar Kushwaha Lal Chandra Kol Y.G. Mahajan and Raja Rampal -- for allegedly taking money to ask questions in Parliament. Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry said that prima facie charges dealing with criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were made out against the accused. The charges will be formally framed on August 28. The court has also ordered framing of charges against a person named Ravinder Kumar while proceedings against one of the accused has been dropped as he has died. Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava alleged that they had misused their office when they were caught on camera during a sting operation seeking money for asking questions in Parliament in what came to be known as cash-for-query scam. --IANS akk/amit/dg