The Central Bureau of Investigation has developed cold feet while prosecuting the former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s two kin, diplomat Devyani Khobragade and former minister Suresh Prabhu in the Adarsh scam, a rejoinder filed in the Bombay High Court on Friday has claimed. It asked why the four were not made accused in the charge sheet filed by the agency in the Adarsh housing society scam.
The rejoinder filed by petitioner Ketan Tirodkar alleged that the agency had been fraudulently trying to protect the former Chief Minister. Mr Tirodkar had sought formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) reporting directly to CBI Director Ranjit Singh.
The petitioner asked how the agency did not include the names of Bhagwati Sharma (Mr. Chavan’s mother-in-law) and Madan Sharma (brother of Mr. Chavan’s father-in-law), Ms. Khobragade and Mr. Prabhu in the charge sheet when senior officials who conspired to allot them flats fraudulently were named in it.
The CBI had said that all these members were ineligible to receive flats. The agency said it had written to the Chief Secretary about the matter.
“The question that arises is why the agency is acting like a clerk by preparing a note to be sent to the Chief Secretary in the matter of a criminal offence which it is investigating under Chapter XII of the Criminal Procedure Code and what is the calibre of the Chief Secretary against the powers of the agency?” the rejoinder asked.
The court gave the CBI two weeks to file a reply.
