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Controversial Water Resources Minister Mahipal Maderna, one of the accused in nurse Bhanwari Devi kidnapping case, on Sunday night was dismissed from the Cabinet following his refusal to step down.
According to sources, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday evening directed Maderna to resign after he was told by the party president Sonia Gandhi to urge Maderna to step down.
Sources said Maderna refused to resign and pleaded his innocence. During his meeting with Gehlot late on Saturday, he assured the Chief Minister, if he was found guilty by the CBI, which was investigating the case, he would step down immediately. On Sunday afternoon he left for Delhi to meet the central leaders to plead his case. Jat leaders of the party were mobilising support for Maderna and were sure that Gehlot would not dare to remove him from his Cabinet. On October 5, the birthday of Parasram Maderna stalwart Jat leader and father of Mahipal, Jat leaders used the occasion to show their strength.
At the orders of local court at Bilara, the police had included the name of Maderna, in the FIR, along with three other accused. Since then, Maderna was under pressure from party leadership to resign, but he was resisting for the past one and half months.
Bhanwari Devi, an auxiliary nurse and midwife, was kidnapped from her village Borunda in Jodhpur, on September 1 and police had failed to trace her. In the first week of September the State Government had handed over the case to CBI.
While hearing a habeas corpus petition, filed by Amarchand, Bhanwari Devi’s husband, a division bench of Rajasthan High Court on three occasions reprimanded police for not interrogating the Minister, though his name figured as one of the main accused in the FIR.
According to sources, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday evening directed Maderna to resign after he was told by the party president Sonia Gandhi to urge Maderna to step down.
Sources said Maderna refused to resign and pleaded his innocence. During his meeting with Gehlot late on Saturday, he assured the Chief Minister, if he was found guilty by the CBI, which was investigating the case, he would step down immediately. On Sunday afternoon he left for Delhi to meet the central leaders to plead his case. Jat leaders of the party were mobilising support for Maderna and were sure that Gehlot would not dare to remove him from his Cabinet. On October 5, the birthday of Parasram Maderna stalwart Jat leader and father of Mahipal, Jat leaders used the occasion to show their strength.
At the orders of local court at Bilara, the police had included the name of Maderna, in the FIR, along with three other accused. Since then, Maderna was under pressure from party leadership to resign, but he was resisting for the past one and half months.
Bhanwari Devi, an auxiliary nurse and midwife, was kidnapped from her village Borunda in Jodhpur, on September 1 and police had failed to trace her. In the first week of September the State Government had handed over the case to CBI.
While hearing a habeas corpus petition, filed by Amarchand, Bhanwari Devi’s husband, a division bench of Rajasthan High Court on three occasions reprimanded police for not interrogating the Minister, though his name figured as one of the main accused in the FIR.
