Cong misused CBI to rein in Mulayam, kin
WEDNESDAY, 26 DECEMBER 2012 00:17 ABRAHAM THOMAS | NEW DELHI
ASG tells SC that Centre ordered it to go slow against SP chief in DA case
The Congress has vehemently denied allegations levelled by the Samajwadi Party about the misuse of CBI against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his kin, but facts tell a different story altogether. On February 10, 2009, CBI stunned the Supreme Court by revealing that the Centre directed it to go slow against the SP leader in the disproportionate assets case. The counsel for CBI admitted in the court that despite evidence to pursue a case against Mulayam, the Law Ministry put pressure on the CBI to withdraw its application seeking further investigation in the case. The CBI on October 26, 2007 had told the court it had enough evidence to lodge a criminal case against the SP chief and his sons Prateek, Akhilesh and daughter-in-law, Dimple. Later, on December 6, 2008, the CBI moved another application to withdraw its previous request pleading that the agency required time to examine fresh representations received from Mulayam and his kin.
When a shocked court quizzed Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Mohan Parasaran for ‘change of heart’ of the agency, he said: “After we had prepared a preliminary report, we started receiving representations stating that the valuation of assets was to be done in accordance with the order of the Income Tax department.” “When sought the view of the Law Minister whether to take action on the representations, we were told to withdraw the October 2007 application and file a fresh application,” the ASG added. The fresh application, dated November 26, 2008, was filed in court on December 6. What Justice Kabir asked Parasaran was shocking.
“So you were acting on behest of Law Ministry.” “Is this the only case where CBI has followed the practice of referring to the opinion to the Law Ministry or has it been resorting to this in the past too,” the judge asked. The answer by the ASG to this query was even more shocking. “In the past too, we have referred to their opinion.” This court found difficult to suppress its displeasure. “You were not acting independently. What you just now said is something unusual,” the court said. Against this backdrop, the apex court recently asked the CBI to “independently” conduct further probe against Mulayam and his two sons, by saying, “the CBI may take such independent action as it considers fit….without seeking any direction from the Union of India or on the basis of any direction that may be given by it.”
Recently, former CBI head US Mishra too claimed that the agency was virtually run as a “Government department” while confessing of Centre’s influence in the probe relating to Taj Corridor case against Mayawati and top politicians in Maharashtra in the Telgi fake stamp paper scam.
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