Police to file chargesheet against filmmaker Prakash Jha

PATNA - Filmmaker Prakash Jha seems headed for trouble with police in Bihar ordering a chargesheet to be filed against him for allegedly distributing money among voters during the April-May Lok Sabha elections that he contested, police said Thursday.

West Champaran Superintendent of Police K.S. Anupam said Jha was found guilty of violating the model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha elections that he contested as a Lok Janshakti Party candidate from West Champaran seat.

“The police will file a chargesheet against Jha in connection with the seizure of Rs.10.25 lakh during raids at his guest house following reports that he was distributing money among voters to influence them,” Anupam said.

Anupam had led a team of police and central paramilitary forces during the raid at Jha’s guest house located in his sugar mill in Bettiah, district headquarters of West Champaran, and seized the money. The filmmaker was among 38 people arrested in the raid. They were, however, let off on furnishing personal bonds, official sources said.

Jha had then denied that the money was meant for distribution among voters and had accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi of acting with vendetta against him to sully his image.

Jha was pitted against Sadhu Yadav, a Congress nominee and brother-in-law of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.

Jha was defeated in the election by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sanjay Jaiswal.