NEW DELHI: A BJP leader, pursuing the politically sensitive Rs 64-crore Bofors pay-offs case, today alleged in the Supreme Court that the CBI had misled Delhi High Court claiming that nearly Rs 250 crore was spent in the probe.
Advocate Ajay Agrawal, who had contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Rai Bareli against then Congress President Sonia Gandhi, claimed that as per an RTI reply of March 21, 2011 received by him, a sum of Rs 4.77 crore was spent in the total investigation of the Bofors case.
The Apex Court had on October 18, 2005 admitted Agrawal’s petition which was filed after the CBI failed to approach the top court with the appeal within the 90-day deadline following the May 31, 2005 Delhi High Court judgement quashing charges against the Europe-based industrialists, the Hinduja brothers.
Justice R S Sodhi of Delhi High Court, since retired, had on May 31, 2005 quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers — Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — and the Bofors company, castigating CBI for its handling of the case, saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.
“It is the CBI who had given the (high court) judge to understand that Rs 250 crore has been spent on the investigation while the depondent, petitioner-in-person (Agrawal), herein received a RTI reply dated March 21, 2011 that a sum of Rs 4.77 crore has been spent in the total investigation of the case,” Agrawal said in his short affidavit filed in the top court, which listed his appeal in the regular list of business for hearing tomorrow. (AGENCIES)
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