CBI files FIR against former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan, raids premises

She has been booked under sec 120B PC Act, abuse of official position and criminal conspiracy, the ANI news agency reported.

New Delhi: The CBI on Saturday filed an FIR against former union environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan after carrying out a search at her premises in Chennai, accusing her of misusing official position during her tenure.

The former union minister has been booked under sec 120B PC Act, abuse of official position and criminal conspiracy, the ANI news agency reported.

The probe agency also filed an FIR against Electrosteel Casting Ltd., its the then managing director Umang Kejriwal, and others, under section 120B PC Act.

The case dates back to 2012 when she allegedly gave clearance to mining company Electrosteel for diversion of forest land in Jharkhand's Singhbhum District in alleged violation of the Forest (Conservation Act).

She allegedly gave the permission after her predecessor Jairam Ramesh had rejected it.

"Jayanthi Natarajan, the then Minister of State for Environment and Forests accorded the approval for diversion of 55.79 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use to ECL, though the same had been rejected by the earlier Minister of State...Without any change in the circumstances after rejection," PTI quoted the CBI FIR as saying.

It further said that the approval had been accorded without adhering to the advice of Director General Forests and directions of Supreme Court in this regard. 

Natarajan stepped down from her post on December 21, 2013 amid a row over the issue.

She alleged that she had given clearance for industrial projects on "specific requests" from party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Natarajan, who quit the Congress in 2015, was elected thrice as a Rajya Sabha member from Tamil Nadu.