India
CBI top two officials Asthana and Verma have been embroiled in an unprecedented feud, each accusing the other of corruption and of having accepted bribes
New Delhi: Accused businessman Satish Sana, who had named CBI special director Rajesh Asthana who had levelled bribery and corruption chrges against CBI special director Rakesh Asthana, has sought police protection after being summoned by the investigation agency for interrogation.
In his statement to the CBI, Sana had said he paid a bribe of Rs 2 crore to Asthana for getting rid of any action in an investigation linked to meat exporter Moin Qureshi. The money was paid over a 10-month period -- starting from December 2017. Based on this statement, the CBI had filed a First Information Report or FIR against Asthana.
Also read: CBI feud: Fake news about Rakesh Asthana doing rounds, Surat Police rubbish allegations
On the other hand, the Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea filed by CBI’s Special Director Rakesh Asthana challenging Centre’s decision to divest him of duties and send him on leave.
CBI top two officials Asthana and Verma have been embroiled in an unprecedented feud, each accusing the other of corruption and of having accepted bribes.
Mukul Rohatgi, who is counsel for Asthana, brought the petition to the Supreme Court's attention on Friday and challenged the Department of Personnel and Training's (DoPT) decision to remove him from his post and send him on leave. In his plea, Verma had dubbed the move "patently illegal".
The petition was brought before the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph.
In his plea, Asthana said he was a "whistleblower" and he had approached the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on August 24 highlighting the corruption charges against CBI chief Alok Verma.
He also accused the Centre of backing the "corrupt" CBI chief, alleging that he had been victimised for his bonafide actions.
Also read: CBI vs CBI: What Alok Verma said in his petition before Supreme Court
n August, Asthana had lodged a complaint with the Cabinet Secretary, alleging misconduct by Verma. The matter was referred to the CVC for further action. In turn, the CBI director told the CVC that Asthana was being investigated in six cases of corruption.
On October 15, the agency lodged an FIR with bribery allegations against Asthana and Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, Dubai-based investment banker Manoj Prasad and his brother Somesh Prasad. Kumar is in the custody of the CBI.
(With inputs from PTI)
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