SC asks CBI to get Asthana's viscera samples

The Supreme Court directed CBI to entrust viscera samples of Ashutosh Asthana, prime accused in multi-crore PF scam, to AIIMS and asked the magistrate probing his mysterious death to submit his report directly to it within eight weeks.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed CBI to entrust viscera samples of Ashutosh Asthana, prime accused in multi-crore PF scam, to AIIMS, Delhi, and asked the magistrate probing his mysterious death to submit his report directly to it within eight weeks.

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Rejecting the plea for a probe by a retired "upright" police officer like Kiran Bedi or Prakash Singh, former Uttar Pradesh DGP, as several judges are allegedly involved in the PF scam, the apex court said since a magisterial inquiry has already been announced by the UP government there cannot be any parallel probe.

Ashtana was found dead in his cell in Dasna district jail in Ghaziabad on Saturday.

"There cannot be a parallel inquiry. We will see later," the bench said when counsel Prashant Bhushan submitted that retired DGP Prakash Singh or former IPS officer Kiran Bedi should be entrusted with the investigation.

The apex court, however, asked the UP police to provide adequate protection to all the accused and witnesses and, if necessary, to Rama Jain, former designated special CBI judge who had initially recorded the statements of some of the accused in the scam.