Months after former >Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan refused permission to prosecute tainted Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation is silent on the matter. In an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court on Friday, it did not spell out any steps it will take in the matter.
“It is further submitted that the applicability of section 197 of Criminal Procedure Code as also the observations of His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra in the order refusing to grant sanction against Shri Ashok Chavan are matters of record and therefore do not call for any specific reply,” the CBI said in its affidavit.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Ketan Tirodkar had sought court directions to the CBI to produce a final investigation report of the steps taken to prosecute Mr. Chavan.
“I had also pleaded that prosecution should be started in the matter, without the sanction of the government.” Mr Tirodkar told The Hindu .
The CBI has, in the past as well, told the Bombay High Court that there is no need for the court’s supervision in the matter, as the agency has already finished the investigation.
Even the State government has now said that the special CBI court can look into the matter of the CBI’s jurisdiction in the case. The Maharashtra government has challenged the central agency’s jurisdiction in probing the matter.