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CBI seeks more time to complete Rakesh Asthana probe
Asthana has maintained that the investigation was the result of a feud between him and the former head of CBI of Alok Verma.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday informed the Delhi high court that the investigating officer’s findings in the alleged bribery case against former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been analysed at three levels within the agency but that it needs more time to complete the investigation.
The agency submitted its status report in a sealed cover detailing the developments in the probe.
On January 11, Justice Nazmi Waziri refused to quash the FIR registered against Asthana, CBI Deputy Superintendant Devender Kumar and an alleged middleman Manoj Prasad. The court directed CBI to complete the probe within 10 weeks. However, in May, CBI was again granted four months to complete the investigation. On October 9 the high court further granted two months to the agency.
It was supposed to finalise the probe by Monday.
Asthana was booked on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) on a complaint filed by Hyderabad based businessman Sathish Babu Sana.
Asthana has maintained that the investigation was the result of a feud between him and the former head of CBI of Alok Verma.
In its application filed in the HC alongwith the sealed status report, CBI said: “As per established procedure of the CBI, the said report submitted by the IO is required to be analysed and examined at eight levels including legal scrutiny”.
“The analysis of the report submitted by the Investigating officer in this case has now been completed at three levels. The issues pointed out in legal scrutiny and by supervisory officers are also being attended to simultaneously to complete the investigation as expeditiously as possible,” the application said.
