Janata Dal (United) on Sunday suspended party member Anil Sahni in connection with his involvement in a leave travel concession, or LTC, scam, PTI reported. The Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a chargesheet in the case earlier this month, alleging that the Rajya Sabha MP had forged air travel tickets and boarding passes to claim allowances from the Parliament. This made him the first legislator from the Upper House to be prosecuted by the CBI.

JD(U) national spokesperson KC Tyagi said Sahni had not been able to give satisfactory answers to the Rajya Sabha chairman or the party leadership with regard to the case. "Our party is serious about the issue of corruption. That's why we're suspending Anil Sahni from the party's parliamentary board membership," he added.

Others accused in the scam are an Air India official and a Delhi-based travel agency, Air Cruise Travels Pvt Ltd. Sahni had denied all allegations and claimed it was a conspiracy against him. His term in the Rajya Sabha ends in 2018.

Parliamentarians, from both the Upper and Lower Houses, are allowed 34 free air tickets a year.