Kurla fake bonds: HC seeks CBI reply on probe progress

The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team probing the fake bail bond scam of Kurla railway station to file a status report on the investigation so far. The court was hearing a 2010 public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Samir Zaveri who had alleged that several Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel were issuing fake bonds. The PIL states that several RPF personnel at Kurla station would detain people for crossing tracks or for trespassing. They would then punish them under the Railway Act. The detainees were then presented in a fake court near Kurla station where a head constable masquerading as a magistrate would release them on bail after they paid amounts ranging from '500 to '1,000. The advocate representing the investigative agency had requested the court to grant three more months to complete its investigation. A division bench of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice Mridula Bhatkar questioned the state about the current progress in the matter. The bench reprimanded the agency and directed it to submit a status report before it by the December 14. The court had directed the CBI to investigate the matter after Mr Zaveri had informed the court about the lack of progress in the probe.