Temporary Stay On Hc Hearing In Fodder Scam

The Supreme Court yesterday temporarily restrained the Patna High Court from proceeding with the hearing on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report on the Rs 950-crore fodder scam to be filed on Friday.

However, the high court can continue the hearing after the Supreme Court passes its order in the appeal filed by CBI against the high court order. The Supreme Court will take up the appeal next Monday. The appeal, filed by the CBI, challenges an order of the high court excluding the Bihar cadre investigating officers from probing the scam.

The appeal came up for hearing before a bench consisting of Justice J S Verma, Justice K Ramaswamy and Justice S P Bharucha. The matter was listed late in the evening and the attorney-general wanted more time to argue the matter. Therefore, the hearing was adjourned for Monday. The CBI has submitted that the order of the high court has serious repercussions as it would upset the cadres of the organisation.

 

It was also against the law under which the CBI has been set up.

The Patna High Court had also directed that in view of this order, those officers of the CBI from outside the state, including joint director (east) U NBiswas, should report directly to the court.