The CBI has approached the Delhi high court after failing to explain to a trial court how some of its officers reportedly bungled a raid in a multi-crore scam allegedly involving intelligence officials, sources said on Wednesday.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in supplying high-altitude tents worth Rs 22 crore to the Special Frontier Force - a covert unit of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) set up after the 1962 Indo-China war to carry out specialised operations.
Unidentified officers from the R&AW unit and a private company, Sai Baba Builders and Consultants, and its three directors were booked by the CBI after the PMO said it wanted the matter investigated.
One of the directors, Manjari, is the wife of SP Singh, a close aide of minister of state for external affairs Gen (retd) VK Singh, sources said.
CBI chief Ranjit Sinha's lawyer requested additional sessions judge GP Singh on Wednesday to adjourn the case until the agency's appeal in the high court against his orders was disposed of.
The judge said on October 28 that despite clear directions to the officers to follow the procedure for conducting searches, there was a "flagrant violation" of it and even the mandate of the legislature was not adhered to.
{{/usCountry}}The judge said on October 28 that despite clear directions to the officers to follow the procedure for conducting searches, there was a "flagrant violation" of it and even the mandate of the legislature was not adhered to.
{{/usCountry}}The supplementary case diaries merely mentioned that the raid team said no independent witnesses had been taken along for the search, in contravention of due process, the court said.
When Sinha did not submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) on November 10, as directed, the court again asked him for the report while noting that all of the agency's supervisory officers had been given enough time to respond with a written explanation and the ATR against the "erring officials".
The judge said that the investigating agency's top brass must also explain why the officials should not be prosecuted for "non-compliance of directions" issued by the court.
R&AW had carried out an internal probe in which, prima facie, irregularities were found. The report was sent to the PMO which referred it to the CBI for further investigation.