CBI asked to probe Romesh Sharma’s links

PATNA, Nov 6 (PTI) — The Patna High Court today asked the CBI and the Income Tax Department to probe the alleged involvement of Romesh Sharma, an alleged associate of Dubai-based mafia don, Dawood Ibrahim, in the fodder scam.

A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice S N Jha and Mr Justice S J Mukhopadhyay, said the progress report filed by the CBI in the court yesterday gave some indications about the possible involvement of Sharma.

The judges asked counsel for the Income Tax Department, Mr B B Ahuja, to look into the matter and share information with the CBI.

NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered two cases against Romesh Sharma for his alleged role in getting a passport for the Dubai-based don’s mother after the Mumbai serial bomb blasts and forcible acquisition of a helicopter, bureau sources said.

The CBI, which is heading the inter-departmental group (IDG) formed for closely monitoring various aspects of the probe against Sharma, had also taken over all documents and papers relating to the cases from the Delhi Police, the sources said.

The Congress, meanwhile, charged the BJP with levelling ‘’baseless’’ allegations against the party and its leaders by linking them with Romesh Sharma, saying the BJP was indulging in such gimmicks to divert attention from its “failure” to check price rise.

SARNATH (UNI): Meanwhile, Union Home Minister L.K. Advani on Friday said that his ministry had asked the CBI to probe the links of alleged Dawood Ibrahim “frontman” Romesh Sharma with those in positions of power.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Advani said the Home Ministry in a letter to the CBI yesterday had asked that such a probe should be conducted expeditiously and the report submitted to the ministry at the earliest.

The Home Minister said the connections of Romesh Sharma with those in politics, administration or the police would be investigated to establish who had been giving him “protection”.

However, in reply to a question, Mr Advani described as a “false campaign” reports about alleged links between Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj and Romesh Sharma.

Describing Sharma as the “frontman” of Dawood Ibrahim operating in the Capital for several years, Mr Advani said the don was further on the lookout for “opportunities and instruments” to spread lawlessness and instability in the country.

The Home Minister said for several years now, people were talking about criminalisation of politics and in this context, the country had been getting information about the role of a man, originally from Mumbai and now operating from Pakistan or Dubai, in creating instability in the country.

Earlier, addressing the first session of the international seminar on “World Unity in Buddha’s Trinity”, the main event of the ongoing “Bauddha Mahotsav,” Mr Advani stressed that Buddhism was the strongest bond that united India to the people of South-East and far-east Asia. “There is a great scope and, also, an equally great need for increasing socio-cultural interaction among the people of India and the Buddhist countries of Asia such as China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and others,” he added.

Speaking of the importance of “dharma” in Buddhist philosophy, Mr Advani said this should not be confused with “religion”.

“Buddha did not announce any new religion. He was only re-stating with a new emphasis the ancient ideals of the Indo-Aryan civilisation,” he added.