New Delhi: The CBI told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that the FIR on bribery allegations against Special Director Rakesh Asthana and others shows cognisable offences. The agency opposed Asthana’s plea seeking quashing of the FIR and said a roving inquiry at this stage was not permissible. (Also read: ‘Probe Against Verma to be Completed in Two Weeks,’ Says SC)
It also told the court that the probe against Asthana was at a nascent stage and several incriminating documents, as well as the role of other people, was under investigation. The agency said it was handicapped in the probe as certain files and documents were under the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) scrutiny.
The agency denied all adverse allegations levelled by Asthana, “whether germane or not germane”, in his petition. The petitions of Asthana, CBI DSP Devendra Kumar and alleged middleman Manoj Prasad are scheduled to come up for hearing before a bench of Justice Najmi Waziri during the day.
On Wednesday, CBI Additional SP SS Gurm had told the court there was “reasonable” apprehension that the agency would not effectively contest the petition filed by Asthana seeking the quashing of an FIR against him in a bribery case. Gurm has also dragged the name of RAW Special Director Samant Goel in the bribery case involving Asthana, CBI DSP Devender Kumar and Dubai-based businessmen — Manoj and Somesh Prasad, who are brothers.
Gurm has alleged that Asthana was misleading the court by placing “selective” facts before it. Gurm, who was transferred along with other CBI officials in the feud between CBI Director Alok Verma and Asthana, sought to be made a party in the petition filed by Asthana. The officer, who was transferred from Delhi to Jabalpur, sought an opportunity to be heard in the case.
In an application before the high court, the additional SP gave the sequence of events in the case in which he was in the team probing the complaint filed by Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana who has accused Asthana and others of taking a bribe to settle case relating meat exporter Moin Qureshi. (With Agency Inputs)
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