'Clinching' evidence against Rakesh Asthana in graft case, ex-IO tells court

There is clinching evidence against former special CBI director Rakesh Asthana in the alleged CBI vs CBI graft case, former investigation officer (IO) of the case Ajay Kumar Bassi told a special CBI court here on Friday.

Bassi appeared before the court and briefed it about the probe conducted by him during his investigation period. However, current IO Satish Dagar objected to some of the details given by Bassi and said whatever he was saying was not mentioned in the case diary.

A verbal spat also broke out in the courtroom with the two slinging personal allegations against each other.

During the hearing on considering the chargesheet in the matter, current IO Satish Dagar alleged that former IO Ajay Kumar Bassi was removed from the probe due to his biased investigation.

Bassi, on the other hand, alleged that Dagar has made up his mind to give clean chit to former special CBI director Rakesh Asthana despite there being clinching evidence against him. He said that Dagar didn't even seize Asthana's phone and other electronic evidence.

Bassi said that he had been sitting at home for the past 15 months without salary.

Following the spat, special CBI judge Sanjeev Aggarwal asked the two to be silent and said, "There is no point in washing dirty linen in public. You both worked in the same organisation, which is bigger than an individual."

The matter was slated for further hearing on March 7.

The court had on February 19 asked the former investigating officer AK Bassi to appear before it on the next date of hearing.

DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested in 2018 and later got bail, was named in the chargesheet in the case since there was not enough evidence to make them an accused.

The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, facing probe in the 2017 case allegedly involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

The CBI is probing Asthana and DSP Devender Kumar for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange of giving a clean chit to Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Babu Sana.

Asthana had also accused former CBI Director Alok Verma of trying to falsely implicate him in the case, following which the Centre sent both the officers on leave.