Special court adjourns hearing in CBI vs CBI alleged graft case, summons ex-IO AK Bassi

A special court in Delhi on Wednesday adjourned till February 28 hearing in the CBI vs CBI alleged graft case and asked the investigating officer Ajay Kumar Bassi to appear before it on the next date of hearing.

Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal summoned Bassi after CBI informed the court that then investigation officer had refused to join the probe despite summons.

The court, while considering the recently filed charge-sheet in the matter, directed Bassi to appear before it on the next date of hearing to explain the case diary maintained by him during his investigation period.

The court asked the probe agency why no lie detector test or any psychology tests were conducted on former special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana during the probe.

The court further said that advocate Sunil Mittal, a co-accused in the case "seems like a fictional character emerging from 'Mission Impossible' and 'James Bond' movies. Why showing so much indulgence to him?"

While talking about Mittal's son-in-law, Someshwar Prasad, the court asked, "Why you are so much indulgent to someone who isn't cooperating and didn't even share his phone?"

Earlier today, the court had asked the probe agency to get the case diary and interrogated the CBI regarding the investigation details.

DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested in 2018 and later got bail, was named in the charge-sheet 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 Kumar for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange of giving a clean chit to Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish 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 last year.