Madhya Pradesh Sarpanch Removed After Uncovering Power Sale Deal

In a shocking incident from Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, a village sarpanch was stripped of her role after it emerged that she had exchanged her administrative power for financial gain. Laxmi Bai, the sarpanch of Karod gram panchayat, had made a deal with a local contractor, Ranveer Singh Kushwaha, in November 2022.

The agreement, documented on a Rs 100 stamp paper, entailed Kushwaha taking over the panchayat's operations in exchange for paying off Laxmi Bai's Rs 20 lakh debt and providing her with a five percent commission on the construction contracts he secured.

This unusual arrangement prompted an inquiry by district authorities, resulting in Laxmi Bai's dismissal. Legal proceedings have been initiated against Kushwaha, charged under section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating, along with infractions under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)