CVC submits report on CBI chief, case to be heard Friday

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court deferred to Friday the hearing on CBI director Alok Verma's petition challenging the Centre's decision sending him on leave pending a Central Vigilance Commission inquiry into alleged bribery charges against him as there was a delay in filing the inquiry report.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul did not take kindly to solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CVC, submitting the report at the last minute on Monday.

"You could have given the report earlier so as to allow us to read it," the bench said. The report, sources said, found "nothing substantial" in the charge that Verma was paid Rs 2 crore in multiple cases against meat exporter Moin Qureshi, allegedly by a coaccused, Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana. The allegation was levelled by CBI special director Rakesh Asthana on August 24.

However, Asthana was named in an FIR by the CBI on October 15, allegedly on a complaint by Sana that two persons had extorted more than Rs 3 crore from him in the name of Asthana.