SC refuses to interfere with arrest of senior journalist Upendra Rai

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on May 4 refused to interfere with the arrest of journalist Upendra Rai by the CBI for his alleged involvement in dubious financial transactions.

A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said it would not like to interfere in the arrest, saying it has not gone through the application filed by Rai in which he is seeking protection.

The CBI, on Thursday, had arrested Delhi-based journalist Upendra Rai for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions and getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information.

Also Read: CBI books senior journalist for providing false info to access 'sensitive' areas

Rai claimed he has been framed in the case as he has been writing against an ED official who was part of the team probing the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.

He will be produced before a trial court on May 4. Rai was questioned at the agency headquarters along with two others for the entire day before being arrested, officials had said on Thursday.

Prasun Roy, chief security officer of Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, was also booked by the CBI in the case, they had said.

The probe agency had carried out searches at eight locations in Lucknow, Noida, Delhi and Mumbai.

In its FIR, the agency alleged that going by the value of transactions above Rs 1 lakh during 2017, Rai's accounts received Rs 79 crore while Rs 78.51 crore was debited from it during the same period.