CBI vs CBI: Judge rebukes former officers sparring in Delhi HC

A Delhi court was on Friday (February 28) told that there were “clinching evidence” against former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case in which he was recently given a clean chit.

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

The court had on February 12 expressed displeasure over the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) 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.

Related news: Court raps CBI for not conducting psychological, lie detector tests on Asthana

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.

The court had rapped the CBI on February 19 for not conducting psychological and lie detector tests on its former special director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case in which he was recently given a clean chit.

Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal directed the initial investigating officer, Ajay Kumar Bassi, in the case to appear before it on February 28 to explain the case diary.

The court asked the CBI whether there was any telephonic conversation recording of Asthana, which the agency denied.

(With inputs from agencies.)