Track record: CBI through the years

The CBI has come under fire several times for allegedly poor investigation. The Supreme Court had in 2013 called it a "caged parrot" and "its master's voice"

A special CBI court on Thursday acquitted all the accused — including former telecom minister A Raja, Essar promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia and former bureaucrats — in the 2G telecom spectrum allocation case, saying the special public prosecutor “miserably failed” to prove any charges against the accused. Business Standard takes a look at a few high-profile cases in which question marks were raised by various courts over the CBI’s probe:

Aircel-Maxis 2G case

 

August 2014: CBI files chargesheet against former telecommunications minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran and several others for allegedly influencing Aircel to sell its company to Maxis

February 2017: CBI special court drops all charges, saying CBI pressed charges due to misreading of official files 

Hindalco coal block

October 2013: CBI files FIRs against Aditya Birla Group Chairman K M Birla and former coal secretary P C Parakh for criminal conspiracy and misconduct

September-November 2013: Special court pulls up CBI for closing case in a hurry; directs agency to record former PM Manmohan Singh’s statement

September 2015: SC asks CBI for further probe 

Other coal allocations

CBI investigates 33 coal allocation irregularities between 2006 and 2009, of which final reports are filed in 28 cases. A special court pulls up the CBI for shoddy investigations in various cases, including the ones involving Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda and former coal secretary H C Gupta that were re-opened by the investigating agency

Bofors scandal

File photo of Bofors gun 155mm. Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

October 1999-2000: CBI files chargesheet against Hinduja brothers, former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar and AB Bofors for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery under Indian Penal Code and other provisions

May-October 2005: Delhi High Court quashes charges against Hinduja brothers — Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — and Bofors. A special court later reprimands CBI for causing exchequer loss of around Rs 250 crore in the case

Aarushi murder case

Ghaziabad: Rajesh Talwar coming out of the Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad after he along with his wife Nupur was released following their acquittal in the twin murder case of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj. PTI Photo

 

April-October 2013: CBI tells special court that Rajesh and Nupur Talwar killed their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj in May 2008

October 2017: Allahabad HC acquits Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, saying they could not be held guilty based on evidences presented

Bellary illegal mining

October 2012: CBI files chargesheet against former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and others for alleged abuse of position and involving bribery of Rs 40 crore

October 2016: CBI special court acquits Yeddyurappa, 13 others, stating the prosecution failed to establish their guilt