Court seizes Tytler’s passport

New Delhi, May 23

A court here today seized the passport of Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take action against him for giving false information that no criminal case was pending against him.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar gave Tytler’s passport to the CBI asking the probe agency to take appropriate action as he gave wrong information to the passport office while seeking its renewal.

However, Tytler’s counsel told the court it was a bona fide mistake. He said the wrong information was furnished by his clerk who checked the wrong box on the form by mistake.

CBI officials told the court that action should be initiated because rules had been violated as the passport was renewed without clearance from the court. 

The court expressed its opinion that an FIR be registered against Tytler for furnishing false information and getting renewed his passport without getting clearance. It, however, did not pass any order. The court was hearing Tytler’s plea seeking to travel abroad from May 25 to June 2.

The case was filed on a complaint by the then Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken that a forged letter on his letterhead was written to the Prime Minister by businessman Abhishek Verma seeking easing of business visa norms in 2009.

Tytler and Verma were chargesheeted under the IPC in the case for the offence of attempting to cheat and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI has alleged that Tytler had “actively connived” with Verma to cheat a Chinese telecom firm and the Congress leader had first shown a “fake and forged” letter to the company’s officials, claiming it was written by Maken to the Prime Minister. — IANS