Order on charge against excise officials on Oct 18

Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh reserved the order after hearing arguments from the counsel for the CBI and the five accused.

"To come up for order on charge on October 18," the court said.

The court will also pronounce on October 18 its order on a plea by co-accused Hemant Gandhi, an alleged middleman, seeking release of his Rs 8.6 lakh which had been seized by the CBI during the probe into the case.

Srivastava, along with Central Excise Superintendent Lallan Ojha and Gandhi, is accused of taking hefty bribe from two accused businessmen Dilip Aggarwal and Anand Aggarwal for not taking any action against them in an excise evasion case.

The CBI had arrested the trio for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 60 lakh from Aggarwals to shield them in the excise law violation case.

Srivastava, Ojha and Hemant Gandhi are presently lodged in Tihar Jail and the two businessmen are out on bail.

The CBI had filed its charge sheet in the case against the five accused on February 29 this year.

The CBI had registered the case under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The agency had said Gandhi was in touch with Srivastava, Ojha and others and was acting as a middleman for them to obtain the bribe from the businessmen.

It had alleged Ojha had conducted a raid along with other excise department officials at Aggarwals' godown and conspired with Srivastava, Gandhi and others for receiving a bribe of Rs 60 lakh for not taking any action against them.