HC orders CBI inquiry into theft of machine from RRCAT, Indore in 2004
High court Jabalpur bench ordered a CBI inquiry on Friday into theft of a machine from Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Department of Atomic Energy, government of India at Indore that took place in 2004. The machine was worth Rs 5 lakh
Bhopal/Jabalpur: High court Jabalpur bench ordered a CBI inquiry on Friday into theft of a machine from Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Department of Atomic Energy, government of India at Indore that took place in 2004. The machine was worth Rs 5 lakh.
The HC bench of Sanjay Yadav passed the order on a petition filed by Krishna Kumar Mishra, who was employed with the Centre as a scientific assistant/D. Mishra alleged in the petition he had to resign from his job in July 2004 as a result of victimisation.
The court observed, “In view of the correspondence entered into between the concerned authorities and the affidavit sworn in by Gopalkrishnan Venkatesan, administrative officer-III, RRCAT, gravity and seriousness of the crime which is subject matter of investigation cannot be ruled out and since the local Police is unable to investigate the crime effectively, this court is of the considered opinion that the same deserves to be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.”
Levelling various irregularities in the institute in his petition the petitioner demanded a CBI inquiry into the matters raised by him especially ‘in case of mysterious theft/ disappearance of petitioner’s lock-in-amplifier, interception of telephones/e-mails/postal letters/ bugging of domestic conversation of the petitioner, suicide of Lt Thirumal, suicide of Lt Attar Singh, suicide of Rajesh Topno and other financial irregularities prevailing in the RRCAT, Indore’.
The court, however, didn’t entertain the petitioner’s prayer to remove the head of the institute and order a CBI inquiry into all the issues raised by him. The court ordered the CBI inquiry in context of the FIR lodged with Rajendra Nagar police station in Indore vide crime no. 36/2005. The FIR was lodged against unknown persons in respect with the theft of lock-in-amplifier that had taken place in the year 2004.
Police had filed a closure report before additional chief judicial magistrate, Indore on April 28, 2005 in connection with the FIR but the court didn’t accept the closure report as the statements of the petitioner and one Shailja had not been recorded.
