Bengal govt approaches top court against CBI probe
The West Bengal government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta high court order directing the courtmonitored CBI investigation into alleged cases of rape and murder during post poll violence in the state based on the recommendations of an NHRC panel. The state government in its special leave petition alleged that it did not expect fair and just investigation by the central agency, which has already initiated cases against members of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress Party, it said. A five-judge bench of the high court, headed by acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, had ordered a CBI investigation in cases of crimes involving alleged rape and murder in West Bengal after the assembly poll results were declared on May 2. The high court had also said last month that other criminal cases related to post-poll violence be investigated by a Special Investigation Team of the police.
MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested one of its own officers in connection with the leaking of the report of it’s preliminary inquiry into the allegations of corruption against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. The agency has also detained Nagpur based advocate Anand Daga, who was a part of Deshmukh’s legal team, for attempting to influence the inquiry officers. The central agency registered an offence in connection with leaking of the report and arrested its own sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari. Tiwari is also suspected of having illegal gratification from Deshmukh’s team for purportedly manipulating the report. Daga was detained on the suspicion that he tried to influence a junior CBI officer during the preliminary inquiry into corruption charges against Deshmukh, agency officers familiar with the matter said. The central agency also detained Deshmukh’s son-in-law on Wednesday, but he was allowed to leave after questioning. The lawyer was detained. “Attempt of Anil Deshmukh’s team were in contempt of Bombay high court, which had directed that all concerned should fully cooperate with the CBI while conducting the PE. In this case it has appeared that Deshmukh’s team tried to subvert the PE,” an official told PTI, asking not to be named. The CBI has initiated the fresh probe after the report of the preliminary probe was leaked and suspected that Daga had tried to scuttle the probe through a junior rank CBI officer, who was part of its team, said a CBI officer. The CBI had undertaken a preliminary inquiry into the allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh.
Deshmukh, accused of corruption by former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh, stepped down soon after citing moral grounds. Later, ED also registered a money laundering case against Deshmukh.