NEW DELHI, Sept 2:
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha was today at the centre of a controversy with an NGO telling the Supreme Court that entry register of his residence portrays a “very disturbing” and “explosive material” coming in the way of administration of justice in 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The issue was raised by the NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), one of the PIL petitioners on whose plea 122 licences for 2G spectrum were cancelled by the apex court.
The apex court stopped the NGO’s counsel from reading out his note on the issue after CBI counsel raised objections to making the content of the register public in open court and agreed to hear it on Thursday.
“If you can give the copy of the material to us, CBI and Director’s counsel, we can take up the matter day after tomorrow,” a bench comprising Justices H L Dattu, S A Bobde and A M Sapre said.
CPIL’s counsel Prashant Bhushan started the submission by stating that after disturbing development of keeping the DIG Santosh Rastogi out of the invvestigation of 2G spectrum which was rectified on apex court’s intervention and during the pendency of an application seeking recusal of Sinha from the spectrum matter, another “very disturbing” thing has happened.
“Last night I came across very disturbing and explosive material. The entry register of Director’s residence,” Bhushan said and referred to a news report which claimed that top executives of a company indicted in 2G scam met CBI Director at his residence in the last 15 months.
While CPIL counsel was reading his note, senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the CBI intervened and asked the bench to pass an order that all materials be placed before the court in a sealed envelope.
Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, who was appearing in a 2G related matter for DMK MP Kanimozhi, one of the accused in the scam, came to the defence of CBI Director by saying that “he is performing his duty well but all kinds of allegations are being levelled.”
Sinha deputed senior advocate Vikas Singh, who said allegations are being made and it appears that attempts are being made to destroy CBI as an institution.
Jethmalani said everytime Bhushan comes out with notes the CPIL should be asked to make its submission through affidavit.
The bench asked CPIL to make its submission by way of affidavit and posted the hearing on Thursday when it will also hear the NGO’s application seeking recusal of Sinha from all 2G matters allegedly for trying to protect some influential accused in the scam. The NGO alleged that the “Director has made serious attempts to derail the investigation and prosecution being carried out by the CBI”. (PTI)
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