Charge sheet filed in Rakesh Asthana bribery case, CBI informs HC

The CBI informed the Delhi High Court Wednesday that it has filed a charge sheet in the bribery case allegedly involving its then special director Rakesh Asthana.

The high court was hearing CBI's pending application in which it had sought more time to complete the investigation in the case lodged in 2018.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru was informed by Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee that the CBI has already filed a charge sheet before the concerned trial court in the case.

The court noted that now nothing survives in the agency's application in which it had sought more time to complete the probe.

The CBI had Tuesday filed a charge sheet against Dubai-based businessman and alleged middleman Manoj Prasad in connection with the case.

It had given a clean chit to Asthana in the charge sheet.

The agency has also absolved RAW chief S K Goel, who was under the scanner in the case. CBI DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested in 2018 and later got bail, also got a clean chit by the probe agency.

The high court on January 8 had directed the CBI director to be present before it on February 12, if the agency fails to complete the investigation in the bribery case.

It had pulled up the CBI for not completing the investigation in a time bound manner despite multiple court orders passed in the case and for repeatedly seeking extension of time to conclude the probe.

The court had noted that initially on January 11 last year the agency was granted 10 weeks to complete the investigation and thereafter, the CBI approached the court with several applications seeking to extend the time which was allowed.

Asthana, CBI's then Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devender Kumar and businessman Manoj Prasad were booked on allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Kumar, earlier the investigating officer in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, was arrested on allegations of forgery in recording the statement of Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, who had allegedly paid a bribe to get relief in the case.

Kumar was arrested on October 22, 2018 and granted bail on October 31, 2018.

The high court had in January 2019 disposed of three petitions of Asthana, Kumar and Prasad by a common order in which the CBI was directed to complete the investigation in the case within 10 weeks.