Court irked by CBI probe into graft case tied to Asthana

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court expressed displeasure on Wednesday over the CBI's investigation of a bribery case involving its former special director Rakesh Asthana , who was given a clean chit on Tuesday.


"Why are certain accused, who seem to have a bigger role in the case, roaming free while the CBI has arrested its own DSP (Devender Kumar)," special CBI judge Sanjeev Aggarwal asked. The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Babu Sana, who faced investigation in a 2017 case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

The agency filed a chargesheet in the court on Tuesday concluding there was no connection between Asthana and the alleged middleman, Manoj Prasad, and no evidence to prove that Asthana had ever demanded or received a bribe to save Sana in the money laundering case related to Qureshi.

The CBI has also found nothing against present R&AW chief Samant Goel, who was named in the FIR filed at former CBI director Alok Verma's behest - a development that had many flummoxed. Dubai-based businessman Prasad, however, has been charged in the case. Sources said the CBI would continue to investigate his brother, Someshwar Srivastava, and father-in-law Sunil Mittal.

Srivastava, whose name had cropped up during investigation, was not arrested in the case, and the CBI's DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested in 2018, later got bail.

"Why is Srivastava not arrested? Manoj Prasad seems to be a weaker link... Why is Srivastava roaming free? You arrested your own DSP without considering his career, which might have been ruined," the court asked.

The court also said that while Devender Kumar's life and liberty were curtailed, Srivastava was enjoying his life. The agency, on the other hand, said the investigation was still on as far as Srivastava's role was concerned.

The matter has been posted for hearing to February 19 .