CBI vs CBI: Verma to Respond by 19 Nov, SC to Hear Case Next Day

The Supreme Court, on 16 November, said it will give the report by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to CBI Director Alok Verma in a sealed cover, so the central agency's chief can file his response. The court said it can take a decision after Verma has responded to the CVC report.

Although the top court gave the CVC more time to probe charges against Verma, it refused to give the inquiry report to CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana's lawyer.

The CBI has been been embattled in a bitter feud between its top leadership, Verma and Asthana, who have levelled allegations of bribery and corruption against each other. The Centre sent the CBI chief and his deputy on leave as the controversy escalated.

CBI Deputy SP AK Bassi has referred to alleged phone intercepts in which one of the accused is purportedly heard saying “Asthana toh apna aadmi hai” (Asthana is our man), The Indian Express reported.

Bassi in his petition to SC claimed that the new team probing Asthana’s case might ‘tamper with or destroy the evidence’. He also said his transfer order is "malafide and derails a sensitive probe", adding that the allegations against Asthana are "grave".

SC, in an order on 30 October, said that it will look into urgent listing of Bassi’s plea against his transfer. Bassi’s advocate Sunil Fernandes sought listing of the petition on 2 November.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)

CBI additional SP SS Gurm moves Delhi High Court demanding he should be heard in the case filed by CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana to quash the FIR. Gurm also said Asthana is "misleading" the court and CBI is trying to protect him.

Delhi's Patiala House Court on Wednesday, 31 October, reserved the order on the bail plea of CBI DSP Devender Kumar.

He was sent to 14-day judicial custody on 30 October.

Delhi's Patiala House Court on Wednesday granted bail to CBI DSP Devender Kumar on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety in the like amount.

Kumar had been arrested in connection with the bribery allegations involving the CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who has been sent on leave.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday made a reference to the crisis within the CBI, when asking the Centre for the pricing details of the 36 Rafale fighter jets to be given in a sealed cover within 10 days.

Hearing a petition filed by Prashant Bhushan, Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha, who are seeking a court-monitored CBI investigation in the procurement of the fighter jets, CJI Ranjan Gogoi said, "That, you will have to wait. Let CBI put its house in order first."

The CBI’s new investigating officer looking into the bribery allegations against Special Director Rakesh Asthana told a Delhi court on Wednesday, 31 October, that the agency could not locate Sathish Babu Sana, a Hyderabad businessman, who is the complainant in the case.

While granting bail to Dy SP Devender Kumar who was arrested in the Asthana case, investigating officer Satish Dagar told the court: “The complainant (Sana) was not available and he did not turn up against the summons issued… We could not get anything other than what is already there (against Kumar),” The Indian Express reported.

The officer further added that Sana’s phone was switched off and that he was not contactable.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday, 1 November, will hear the plea of CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, to quash the FIR against him.

The court would also hear separate pleas from CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar and Manoj Prasad, both seeking the quashing of FIRs against them.

The CBI on Thursday told the Delhi High Court 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.

The agency further added that a new investigation team has taken in charge recently and is under the process of analysing the matter. CBI further requested time to file a detail report on this matter.

Following the CBI’s plea to not quash FIR against Asthana, the HC adjourned the matter till 14 November.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, 1 November, told the Delhi High Court that it is handicapped in the probe against Rakesh Asthana as certain files and documents are currently under CVC scrutiny.

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 persons was under investigation.

(PTI)

Marking the first formal communication between the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and Alok Verma since he was made to go on leave, the CVC asked the CBI Director to prepare to be examined in connection with the complaint registered by special director Rakesh Asthana against him, a government official told Hindustan Times.

“Verma has been asked to gather all relevant documents needed for his defence. No date has been communicated to the director,” the official said.

Delhi's Patiala House Court on Saturday, 3 November, reserved the order on the bail plea of alleged middleman Manoj Prasad, who was arrested in the bribery case against Rakesh Asthana, ANI reported.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge moved an application in the Supreme Court seeking direction against the removal of CBI Director Alok Verma. In his application, Kharge has stated that the act is “completely illegal, arbitrary, punitive, without jurisdiction”.

An Indian Express report with transcripts of supposed phone conversations of Someshwar Prasad suggests links between Asthana and an R&AW officer Samant Kumar Goel.

The transcripts have reportedly been filed as part of Bassi’s writ potion filed in the SC on 30 October.

CBI chief Alok Verma has replied to queries, as asked by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which is probing charges of alleged corruption against him.

He has denied all 12 instances of corruption raised by Special Director Rakesh Asthana, CNNNews18 reported.

Satish Sana, the complainant against former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, is being examined by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

CBI Director Alok Verma met Central Vigilance Commissioner KV Chowdary and is said to have refuted corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and special director in the probe agency Rakesh Asthana, say reports.

CBI Director Alok Verma will appear before the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on Friday, 9 November, which is probing allegations levelled against him by Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed due to non-availability of one of the Vigilance Commissioners, The Indian Express reported.

The Supreme Court had on 26 October asked the Central Vigilance Commission to complete within two weeks its inquiry into allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday, 9 November, slammed the BJP government for attempting ‘to keep the CBI chief non-functional’.

“Knowing that the CBI chief’s tenure ends next month, the BJP government should not achieve indirectly, through the CVC or otherwise, its de facto objective of whiling away time and keeping the CBI chief effectively non-functional through excuses, procedural and legal delays, and filibustering,” he said.

“All stakeholders must thwart this,” he added.

CBI Director Alok Verma on Friday, 9 November, appeared before a panel headed by Central Vigilance Commissioner KV Chowdary and countered the corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and special director in the probe agency Rakesh Asthana for the second consecutive day, officials said.

Verma is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled by Asthana before the panel comprising Vigilance Commissioners TM Bhasin and Sharad Kumar, they said.

(PTI)

More than 150 CBI officials will attend Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living workshop for “enhancing positivity” in CBI. The three-day workshop will begin on Saturday, 10 November.

The CVC probe against the Rs 2 crore bribery allegations against CBI director Alok Verma has found “nothing substantial” as of yet, sources told The Times of India.

The CVC will prepare a report on the preliminary investigations, which was completed on Friday, 9 November, and will submit it to the Supreme Court on Monday, 12 November.

The Supreme Court defers hearing till Friday, 16 November, after the CVC delays inquiry report on CBI director Alok Verma. The report has now been submitted in a sealed cover.

The top court frowned upon the CVC for not submitting the report on time even though the registrar’s office was specially kept open till 11.30 am on a Sunday.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that former apex court judge A K Patnaik supervised the CVC inquiry which was completed on 10 November.

Later the SG tendered an apology and said though he was not explaining the circumstances there was delay on their part in submitting the report.

Manoj Prasad, alleged middleman in the CBI bribery case moves a bail application in Delhi High Court . Prasad was arrested last month by CBI and is presently in Tihar jail.

Alleged middleman Manoj Prasad's judicial custody extended till November 27 by Delhi's Patiala House Court. Earlier today, Delhi High Court dismissed his bail plea.

(Source: ANI)

On Tuesday, 14 November, Delhi High Court extended the interim relief to CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana till 28 November, reported news agency ANI.

Source: ANI

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has found no evidence of corruption allegations levelled by Rakesh Asthana against CBI chief Alok Verma, NDTV reported. The CVC reportedly did not find tracks of any illegal transactions linked to Verma.

Source: NDTV

The Supreme Court says CBI Director Alok Verma should be given the CVC report on the allegations against him in a sealed cover and asks him to file his response by Monday. It will take up the matter on Tuesday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the Central Vigilance Commission report should also be given to Attorney General KK Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

The court turned down Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana's request that the CVC report be provided to him as well.

The top court observed during the hearing that the CVC report is "very uncomplimentary" on some charges against Verma and said a further probe was needed on some aspects.

The SC ordered, “We have perused the report of the CVC. We are of the view that, at this stage, and before taking any decision thereon a copy of the report of the CVC should be furnished by the Registry of this Court, in sealed cover, to the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner – Alok Kumar Verma. We order accordingly. It will be open for the petitioner in writ petition to file his response to the said report of the CVC again in sealed cover.”