Court summons for Jaya Bachchan

Actress-turned-Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan is in the dock for allegedly giving a false affidavit about the properties she and her megastar husband Amitabh Bachchan owned. A court in Lucknow has summoned her for allegedly concealing facts.

Lucknow District Judge Shivanand Misra Monday issued a notice to her to explain why she should not be criminally prosecuted for concealing certain properties owned by her husband in the affidavit she filed with her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha membership.

Jaya Bachchan has been summoned to court Feb 3, the next date for hearing in the case.

The complaint against Jaya Bachchan was filed by Ameer Haider, a lesser known Congress leader from the Barabanki district. The Bachchans own plots of agriculture land in Barabanki. Jaya did not allegedly mention all the Barabanki plots in her affidavit.

The legal battle began with Haider's initial complaint to the Election Commission June 28, 2006.

He alleged that Jaya Bachchan's affidavit mentioned only one plot owned by Amitabh Bachchan in Barabanki and did not give details of the two other agricultural plots there.

The complaint was forwarded to the principal secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, who was the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha by-election.

When no police case was registered, Haider moved an appeal before the Lucknow district judge, who has now summoned Jaya Bachchan Feb 3.

IANS