Rajya Sabha Election Probe Ends, Ex-CM Das Cleared

2016 Horse Trading Case: No Evidence Against Ex-CM Raghubar Das and Others

Police investigation in the 2016 Rajya Sabha election horse trading case absolves former Chief Minister Raghubar Das and other key figures.

RANCHI – The infamous 2016 Rajya Sabha election horse trading case has reached a conclusive end, with key figures including former Chief Minister Raghubar Das, now Governor of Odisha, being exonerated.

DSP Raja Mitra of Hatia, the lead investigator, concluded the probe, finding no substantial evidence against the accused.

The investigation involved meticulous scrutiny, including witness statements, forensic analysis, and legal expert consultations.

This case, registered in 2018, initially implicated Anurag Gupta and Ajay Kumar, with later allegations against Das.

The police’s thorough examination included an audio recording, sent to Hyderabad FSL, which was later deemed to have been misrepresented.

Key witnesses in this investigation included the then Deputy Election Officer Rajesh Ranjan and former CM Babulal Marandi.

Despite earlier reports also finding no evidence, this final conclusion by the DSP puts an end to the long-standing allegations.

The case stemmed from the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections, where NDA candidate Mahesh Poddar narrowly won, amidst allegations of vote manipulation involving Yogendra Sao and his wife, then MLA Nirmala Devi.

Despite these allegations, a comprehensive analysis of the communication records did not substantiate the claims.

With this final report, the case, which has been under scrutiny for years, now sees its closure, bringing relief to the accused and marking an end to a prolonged period of legal and political uncertainty.