Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar has moved a Delhi court seeking release of his laptop, iPad and cash seized during a raid at his office by the CBI in connection with a corruption case last year.
In his application, Mr. Kumar said that the probe agency can keep the back-up of the data stored in the gadgets and hand over the instruments back to him as the investigation into the allegations is over.
Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Jain later asked the CBI to file a reply to the application and fixed April 14 as the date for hearing arguments on it.
Earlier this month, the court had pulled up the investigating agency for not being specific on the bribery allegations in the case. It had also ordered de-freezing of two bank accounts of a private company facing prosecution in the case.
It has also sent a criminal contempt reference to the Delhi High Court requesting it to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the investigating officer in the case, DSP Jayant Kashmiri, and other officials of the CBI who had approved the application for de-freezing of the two accounts filed by the company, M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd (ESPL).
In a reply to the company’s application, the investigating agency alleged that Rajender Kumar played an active role in awarding tenders to pre-determined party ESPL due to extraneous considerations and devoid of public interest, which showed clear abuse of official position and criminal conspiracy among the accused persons, including the directors of the company.
It also alleged that Mr. Kumar was posted in the departments from where huge amounts were received in the account of ESPL in different capacities.
“It appears a bit unusual bribe amounts coming into the applicant’s accounts, whereas ordinary course of conduct suggests that the applicant company, which is alleged to have secured contracts, should have bribed the public servants,” Mr. Jain had said while de-freezing the company’s accounts.
