SC orders viscera of PF scam accused be handed over to CBI

The Supreme Court has directed the CBI to take possession of the viscera samples of Ashutosh Asthana, key accused in the multi-crore PF scam, who died mysteriously in Ghaziabad's Dasna jail.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to take possession of the viscera samples of Ashutosh Asthana, prime accused in the multi-crore PF scam, who died mysteriously in Ghaziabad's Dasna jail.

HT Image

A special bench headed by Justice D K Jain ordered the CBI to forward the samples to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to ascertain the cause of his death on Saturday.

The bench, also comprising Justices V S Sirpurkar and G S Singhvi, further directed that the judicial magistrate inquiring into the circumstances leading to Asthana's death shall submit his report to it within eight weeks.

The apex court also asked the UP police to provide adequate protection to all the accused and witnesses in the case in which some judges were allegedly involved.

Asthana, who was a treasury officer at the Ghaziabad court, was arrested in April 2008 in connection with siphoning off provident fund of class III and IV employees. During interrogation, he had named 36 judges of various courts, including one from the Supreme Court, as alleged beneficiaries of the scam.

The investigation in the case is being done by CBI under the directions of the apex court.

Those names in the scam include seven Allahabad High Court judges, six retired High Court judges and 12 judges of subordinate judiciary in Uttar Pradesh.