Ex-UP Minister booked in land fraud case

Bulandshahr: The Special MP/MLA court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Vinay Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr has framed charges against four-time MLA and former minister Anil Sharma in a land fraud case in which he allegedly forged documents to claim ownership of a 980 square metre plot belonging to a private company in 2019.

According to advocate Javed Akhtar, a complaint was filed against Sharma by one Neeraj Tyagi, a resident of Bulandshahr, on behalf of Vaishno Infrahomes Pvt Ltd, a Bulandshahr-based company.

It was alleged that fake documents were prepared by Anil Sharma with the intention of grabbing this plot of land.

Based on the complaint by Tyagi, a complaint of fraud was filed in the court against Sharma and others.

"Sharma is accused of producing forged documents for a 980 sqm piece of land in 2019. The land was registered in the name of Vaishno Infrahomes Pvt Ltd," said Akhtar.

"On the basis of testimony of the witnesses and court proceedings, the court found Sharma guilty and summoned him under sections IPC 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (fraudulently using genuine documents) of IPC," Akhtar added.

An advocate representing Sharma said, "The allegations made against MLA Sharma are false and based to defame him. Neeraj Tyagi is not associated with Vaishno Infrahomes Pvt Ltd, so he is not authorised to file such a complaint. The court has called witnesses in the case, but none appeared. We will file an appeal in the higher court against the order," said Sandeep Bharadwaj.

Sharma is a four-time MLA. In 2002, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly from Khurja on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket.

He was elected to the Assembly from Khurja for the second consecutive time in 2007.

In 2012, he contested in Shikarpur seat but lost to Samajwadi Party's Mukesh Sharma. In 2017, he won from Shikarpur on a BJP ticket, and repeated the performance in 2022 from the same seat. From 2019 to 2022, he was Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Zoological garden.