Yet another CBI officer moves SC; drags names of minister, NSA, Law Secy : The Tribune India

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Yet another CBI officer moves SC; drags names of minister, NSA, Law Secy

NEW DELHI: Manish Kumar Sinha, a DIG in CBI transferred to Nagpur after Verma-Asthana saga unfolded, on Monday moved the Supreme Court against his transfer to Nagpur.

Yet another CBI officer moves SC; drags names of minister, NSA, Law Secy

On Monday, Verma filed his response to CVC’s report of inquiry against him in a sealed cover and his petition will be taken up on Tuesday. File photo



Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 19

The infighting in the CBI on Monday turned uglier with yet another senior officer moving the Supreme Court, accusing NSA Ajit Doval, union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and CVC KV Chowdhury of attempting to interfere in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Manish Kumar Sinha, who was investigating Asthana and the PNB scam involving Nirav Modi and was transferred to Nagpur, also alleged that Union Law Secretary Suresh Chandra had contacted Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana—complainant in the case against Asthana—while the proceedings were on in the CVC against CBI Director Alok Verma.

While the NSA, the CVC and the minister were not immediately available for comments, Chandra denied the allegations. “All this is fake and concocted. I do not know this person,” Chandra told The Tribune.

The CBI had booked Asthana for allegedly receiving bribe from an accused, Manoj Prasad, whom he was investigating in a case linked to meat exporter Moin Qureshi. He was divested of his duties and sent on leave along with CBI Director Alok Verma. Both have challenged the Centre’s decision before the Supreme Court.

On Monday, Verma filed his response to CVC’s report of inquiry against him in a sealed cover and his petition will be taken up on Tuesday.

In his plea before the top court, Sinha—a 2000 batch IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh cadre—has challenged his transfer to Nagpur.

Sinha’s plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi which refused to grant urgent hearing. His counsel Sunil Fernandes said his client had “got some shocking revelations” in his petition and requested the Bench to take it up on Tuesday along Verma’s petition.

But the Bench wasn’t impressed. “Nothing shocks us,” said the CJI and asked Fernandes to be there during hearing of Verma’s petition against the Centre’s decision to divest him of duties and sending him on leave.
Terming his transfer as “arbitrary, motivated and malafide” Sinha said it was made solely with the purpose and intent to victimise the officer as the investigation revealed cogent evidence against certain powerful persons.”
He alleged that the Verma briefed Doval on October 17 about registration of a case against Asthana.

”Subsequently on the same night, it was informed that the NSA has informed Rakesh Asthana about registration of the FIR. It was informed that Rakesh Asthana reportedly made a request to the NSA that he should not be arrested,” the petition alleged.


Sinha supported the affidavit of CBI DSP AK Bassi, who was transferred to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He said Bassi favoured immediate search of public servants involved in the bribery case (relating to Asthana) but the “Director CBI did not give immediate permission and reverted that the NSA has not permitted the same.”

Sinha said during interrogation of a middleman Prasad—arrested in the bribery case against Asthana—the names of Doval and Samant Kumar Goel, Special Director of India’s external intelligence agency (R&AW) cropped up.

“As per Manoj Prasad, Dineshwar Prasad, his father, who retired as Joint Secretary, and has close acquaintance with Doval. This was one of the first things Manoj claimed on being brought to CBI headquarters and expressed complete surprise and anger as to how CBI could pick him up, despite his close links with Doval,” Sinha said.

He said on October 20, searches were conducted at the residence and the office of Devender Kumar, Deputy Superintendent, CBI, who was investigating the Moin Qureshi case. The reason for the searches was based on certain inputs provided by Special Unit, based on legal interception.

”While the search was on, a phone call was received from Director CBI instructing to stop the search. At that time, the applicant (Sinha) was sitting in the BSF&C office and asked the Director, to which the Director replied that this instruction has come from NSA Shri Doval,” Sinha alleged.

Sinha, in his plea, also alleged that Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, who is the complainant in the case against Asthana, told during interrogation that sometime in the first fortnight of June 2018, a few crores of rupees was paid to Union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, at present Minister of State for coal.

”As per Sana, Harbhai had intervened with the senior officers of CBI through the office of Minister of personnel...To whom apparently, the Director CBI reports to. The money was paid through one Vipul of Ahmedabad. These facts were disclosed to me by Sana on October 20 in the forenoon,” Sinha said in his petition.

Sinha claimed Sana said that he met CVC Chowdhary along with one Gorantla Ramesh somewhere in Delhi and they discussed Moin Qureshi’s case.

”As per Sana, subsequently, Chowdhary called Asthana to his residence and made inquiries. Asthana informed the CVC that there is not much in evidence against them. There is no illegality in this, but the same is put on record here for the sake of completeness. No verification was undertaken and the same is based on disclosure made by Sana,” he said.

 

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