SC admonishes ex-CBI chief for meeting accused; orders probe

The Supreme Court today admonished former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha for his "completely inappropriate" meetings with coal scam accused in the absence of investigating officers (IOs), saying "further inquiry is necessary" to ascertain the fairness and impact of his conduct in the coalgate probe.
"We need not comment on the opinion of Sinha expressed through his counsel Vikas Singh except to say that even if Sinha is right, there cannot at all be any justification for him to meet any accused person in a criminal case where investigation is underway, without the investigating officer being present, whether it is in his office or as alleged by Prashant Bhushan, at his residence and that too, allegedly, several times including late at night," a bench headed by Justice M B Lokur said while questioning Sinha's conduct.

The apex court sought the assistance of the Central Vigilance Commission to determine the methodology for conducting such an inquiry on whether his meetings with the accused had any impact on the investigations and subsequent charge sheets or closure reports filed by the CBI, and sought its response by July 6.
The court, which examined the documents including the office notes and entry register of Sinha's residence showing him meeting even at midnight with coal scam accused, held that those did not fall in the category of Official Secrets Act and "disclosures made by the whistle blower were intended to be in public interest".

It also dismissed Sinha's plea for action of perjury against advocate Prashant Bhushan or the NGO Common Cause and its official for making false and misleading allegations saying "the file notes speak for themselves and any interpretation, even an allegedly twisted interpretation said to have been given to them, cannot fall within the realm of perjury".