Petitioner asks Bihar Guv to reveal names of Bofors scam accused

Days after Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik said that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was not involved in Bofors scam, a petitioner in the case on Tuesday asked the Malik to divulge the names of other accused in the case.

"Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik on May 18 said that Rajiv Gandhi was innocent in Bofors scam, but three or four people surrounding him were involved. So I have written a letter to him stating that you should divulge those names in national interest," petitioner Ajay Agarwal told ANI.

On May 18, the Bihar Governor said that Rajiv Gandhi was a 'good and honest' person and some other Congress leaders were allegedly involved in the case.

A Delhi's Court on May 11 heard the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea seeking direction to allow a further probe into the Bofors case.

The Rs. 64-crore Bofors scam, relating to alleged payment of kickbacks in the procurement of howitzer artillery guns, dates back to 1980s and 1990s, when the Congress was in power under Rajiv Gandhi leadership.

The then Central Government had allegedly signed a 1.4-billion dollar defence deal with Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors for the sale of 410 field howitzer guns and a supply contract almost twice that amount.