Govt Assurance On Cases Against Chandraswami

The Union government yesterday assured Supreme Court that the CBI, enforcement directorate and the income tax department were conducting an intensive investigations in all the criminal cases against controversial godman Chandraswami.

The investigations were also on against him for the violation of the foreign contributions regulation act for receiving illegally huge foreign funds from duvious sources, attorney general Ashok Desai told the court during resumed hearing on a public interest petition by Anukul Chandra Pradhan, a lawyer, seeking monitoring of all criminal cases against the godman. The assurance came in response to an allegation by senior counsel Anil Divan, appearing as an amicus curiae in the matter that certain documents seized by the investigating agencies from Chandra Swamis residence, asharam and the residences and offices of his associates in November last year showing his links with controversial arms dealer Adanan Khashogi and the LTTE were not being made available to the central investigating agencies.

Divan further alleged that there were several sensitive papers lying with the Prime Ministers office, the Intelligence Bureau, the research and analysis wing and the military intelligence. These documents were not being made available to the investigating agencies, Divan also alleged.

He prayed the court to issue notice to the cabinet secretary and issue him necessary direction to protect and preserve these documents.

The attorney general submitted that the apprehensions of the other side was baseless as an intensive investigations were already on by the CBI, enforcement directorate and the income tax department on these documents.

Desai said that since he was representing the Union government before the court, there was no need to issue notice to the cabinet secretary.

The court recorded the assurance of the attorney general and adjourned the hearing till February 24.