Rakesh Asthana. (File Photo)
A Delhi court on Wednesday came down heavily on the CBI for not conducting psychological and lie detector tests on its former special director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case in which he was recently given a clean chit.
Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal also directed the initial investigating officer, Ajay Kumar Bassi, to appear before it on February 28 to explain the case diary.
The CBI had registered an FIR against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Babu Sana, facing investigation in a 2017 case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Sana’s allegations of bribery against Asthana had triggered a war within the CBI, particularly between then director Alok Verma and his number two, Asthana.
Special Judge Aggarwal asked CBI investigating officer Satish Dagar, “Did you subject Rakesh Asthana to lie detector test and psychological test ?” Dagar replied, “No.”
The judge asked, “Why, Sir, if there is a 164 statement (Sana’s statement under CrPC Section 164)?” Dagar said, “There is no direct interaction in the (Section) 164 statement.”
The court said, “After going through the chargesheet, which I have done…you have been giving too much indulgence to the person…”
Special Judge Aggarwal also said that after going through the chargesheet co-accused Sunil Mittal appears like a fictional James Bond character “M”: “You have pounced upon your own IO (investigating officer). You have plucked the low-lying fruit. It was easy.”
The judge had read out contents of the chargesheet and asked the CBI, “What about calls made to RA [Rakesh Asthana] through WhatsApp? The complainant, Sana Satish Babu, has said this in his 164 statement. What is the reason to disbelieve his statement until he steps into the witness box?”