Lucknow Fire: Building Owner Has A History Of Crime, Was Accused In UP CPMT Paper Leak

Rajeev Vajpayee, Lucknow: Surendra Shukla, co-owner of the Lucknow building where 15 people lost their lives in the tragic fire incident, was also reportedly an accused in the CPMT paper leak. The Uttar Pradesh police had filed an FIR against Shukla in the paper leak case, but he was later acquitted due to a lack of evidence following a probe by the Special Task Force (STF).

Surendra Shukla's Role In Paper Leak 

Earlier in 2015, Shukla was accused of orchestrating the paper leak to assist her daughter, who was taking the CPMT exam at Shri Narayan Institute, a Techno Group of Institutes college located on Faizabad Road. As per the reports, the accused had sent Ashok Tripathi and Ankur Srivastava from his own institute as invigilators in the examination hall.

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The probe stated that the 'C' series paper was leaked during the examination, and it was later revealed that it originated from the Rameswaram Institute. Along with Shukla, Rameshwaram Institute's principal and PRO Abhay Pandey were also named accused in the case. However, a complimentary charge sheet was filed only in the name of Surendra following the investigation.

Shukla Purchased Land At Low Rates 

The reports also suggest that along with his elder brother and other colleague, Shukla operated a real estate business in several regions of the state. They purchased lands from the farmers at a very low rate between Lucknow and Sitapur, allegedly with the help of the officials.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) officials stated that the affected building in Lucknow was meant to be used for residential purposes. However, the accused avoided the regulations and used the premise for business purposes for the past few years.

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In its statement, the UP government has stated that the building was issued a demolition order in 2016, but the order was later revoked within two months. The state government has also formed a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the whole incident.