CBI vs CBI: ‘Clinching Evidence Against Rakesh Asthana in Bribery Case,’ Ex-investigating Officer Tells Court

Ajay Kumar Bassi, the former investigating officer in the case, told Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal that the current IO, Satish Dagar, was trying to "save" Asthana and other public servants.

New Delhi: In what could spell trouble for former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Rakesh Asthana, a Delhi court was Friday told that there was “clinching evidence” against him in a bribery case in which he was recently given a clean chit.

Ajay Kumar Bassi, the former investigating officer in the case, told Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal that the current IO, Satish Dagar, was trying to “save” Asthana and other public servants.

Bassi briefed the court about the investigation done by him earlier in 2018.

“On a made-up case, clean chit has been given to the public servant. He should have seized the mobile phones,” Bassi said.

The contentions in the case diary were opposed by the current officer, Superintendent of Police Satish Dagar.

He said, “Bassi refused to join an investigation on two occasions. Now, he is making personal allegations.”

The judge retorted saying, “There is no point washing dirty linen in public. You both worked in the same organisation, which is bigger than an individual.”

The court had on February 12 expressed displeasure over the Central Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the case and it had asked why the accused with bigger roles were roaming free while the probe agency had arrested its own deputy superintendent of police.

Asthana and DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested in 2018 and later got bail, were named in column 12 of the charge sheet in the case since there was not enough evidence to make them accused.

The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, facing probe in a 2017 case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

(With agency inputs)