HC pulls up CBI in fodder scam case

PATNA, MAY 12. The Patna High Court today pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for what it dubbed as slow pace of investigation into the multi-crore fodder scam during the past two months.

It appears the investigation has slowed down during the past two months, a division bench comprising Justice S. N. Jha and Justice S. J. Mukhopadhyay, monitoring the probe into the scam, observed while reviewing the progress of the investigation.

Justice Jha asked the CBI standing counsel to explain how many chargesheets were filed during the period since the last date of monitoring in March. A couple of chargesheets have been filed over the last seven to eight days when the date of today's monitoring of the probe approached.

The standing counsel said the CBI had already submitted chargesheets in around 33 cases of the fodder scam and completed investigation in the rest of the cases which were at present pending for scrutiny at different levels in the agency and in some of the cases the investigating agency has approached the competent authority for granting sanction for prosecution of the accused.

He said the investigations in the cases relating to disproportionate assets were still in progress and ``we require more time to complete them.''

The court also took note of a newspaper report about the reported move for repatriation of senior CBI officials including its Joint Director, Mr. U. N. Biswas and DIG (Patna), Mr. Rakesh Asthana, to their respective State cadres and observed that according to the order of the apex court, no CBI officials would be transferred or repatriated without the consent of the court.

Justice Jha and Justice Mukhopadhyay also asked the Additional Advocate General, Mr. Ganga Prasad Rai, to look into the matter raised by the standing counsel for the Enforcement Directorate, Mr. Ajay Tripathy.

- PTI

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