New Delhi: A Delhi court slammed the CBI on Wednesday for not conducting psychological and lie detector tests on its former special director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case in which he was recently given a clean chit by the agency.
Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal directed the initial investigating officer, Ajay Kumar Bassi, in the case to appear before it on February 28 to explain the case diary. The court asked the CBI whether there was any telephonic conversation recording of Asthana, which the agency denied.
Rakesh Asthana was booked by the CBI on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) on a complaint filed by Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana.
Asthana has maintained that the complaint against him was fabricated at the behest of the than CBI Chief Alok Verma.
“What about calls made to Asthana via WhatsApp? The complainant, Sana Satish Babu, has said this in his statement recorded under 164 CrPC (before a magistrate). Evidence cannot be disregarded at filing of chargesheet,” court said.
“Did you collect any electronic equipment, mobile phones from Asthana? Did you confront him with Manoj Prasad and Someshwar Prasad, it asked.
The CBI said, “No, we examined him but never confronted him with anyone.” The court asked whether there were intercepts between October 15 and October 23, 2018.
“Give me relevant period’s intercepts. Who are other people whose phones were put under surveillance and legal intercepts done,” it asked. The CBI said that the phones of Manoj Prasad and Someshwar Prasad, their father, Someshwar’s father-in-law Sunil Mittal and another lawyer, Prakash Singh Negi were intercepted.
