Special CBI Director Asthana moves Delhi HC over bribery case registered against him
New Delhi, Oct 23 (IBNS): Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Rakesh Asthana on Tuesday moved Delhi High Court against the First Information Report (FIR) registered against him over a bribery case, media reports said.
Asthana has sought a direction from the high court that no coercive action to be taken against him over the case.
The CBI on Monday arrested its Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar in connection with a bribery case that brought to fore the federal probe agency's internal conflict.
The CBI said Kumar was arrested on charges of falsification of records in an ongoing investigation and said “the role of other officers of SIT (special investigation team) CBI, then supervising the Moin Qureshi case” was also being probed, reported Hindustan Times.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday summoned CBI Director Alok Verma to discuss the recent conflicts in the agency.
Media reports report said the dispute between CBI chief Alok Verma and his number two Rakesh Asthana "has escalated with the agency filing a bribery case against the latter."
Asthana has in a written statement to the government said a "false FIR (First Information Report)" has been lodged against him", NDTV earlier reported.
Asthana has been named by Satish Sana, a Hyderabad businessman, who was being investigated in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, arrested in a money laundering case, the report said.
Sana claimed he had to cough up a bribe of Rs. two crores to Rakesh Asthana over a period of over 10-months so that he is not named in the CBI case against Moin Qureshi.
However, Asthana rubbished the charges saying it was hurled against him owing to a conspiracy between the accuser and some CBI and Enforcement Directorate officers.
Image: Screen grab from Youtube/NDTV
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