CBI vs CBI: Clean chit to former special director Rakesh Asthana in bribery case, judge said- not enough evidence to take action right now

• The special CBI court agreed to the charge sheet filed against Rakesh Asthana and other accused.
• The investigation agency had said that there was not enough evidence against Rakesh Asthana and DSP Devendra Kumar in the charge sheet.

The special CBI court on Saturday gave a clean chit to Rakesh Asthana, former special director of the Central Investigation Agency and DSP Devendra Kumar, in the bribery case. While agreeing to the charge sheet filed by the CBI, Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal said that there is not enough evidence for further action against Asthana and Kumar. We will see if new facts emerge in future investigations. In the charge sheet filed by the investigating agency on February 11, there was no evidence of corruption against Asthana and other accused.

The court said that there is not enough evidence against Manoj, his brother Someshwar Prasad and his father-in-law Sunil Mittal, accused in the case. The court has ordered Someshwar Prasad and Mittal to appear before the court on 13 April.

The complaint was filed by Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Babu Sana who was being probed by Asthana as part of a probe into money laundering by meat exporter, Moin Qureshi.

• The CBI had filed a bribery case against Asthana, DSP Devendra and others on 15 October 2018 on a complaint by Hyderabad businessman Satish Babu Sana. On 22 October, the CBI arrested its own DSP. Meanwhile, Asthana filed an application in the Delhi High Court and he escaped arrest.
• A CBI team led by Asthana was investigating a case against meat traders Moin Qureshi and Sana. Sana accused Asthana of demanding a bribe of Rs 10 crore. He had asked Asthana to pay a bribe amount in 10 months after December 2017. However, after finding sufficient evidence to make Asthana and Devendra accused, they were named in column 12 of the chargesheet.

Rakesh Asthana has been in controversies

The bribery scandal in the CBI had emerged as a link in the ongoing confrontation between then director Alok Verma and Asthana, who was posted in the second position in the CBI. After this, the CBI had registered a case against him under the Anti-Corruption Act. Later, the government transferred the officers, then the matter got quiet.