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CBI Feud: Complainant In Rakesh Asthana Case Says He Fears For His Life

It was against Satish Sana Babu's complaint that CBI registered a case against Asthana.
Rakesh Asthana of India's Central Bureau of Investigation in a file photo.
Associated Press
Rakesh Asthana of India's Central Bureau of Investigation in a file photo.

NEW DEHI — The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Hyderabad Police to provide adequate security to businessman Satish Sana Babu, complainant in the alleged bribery case against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices U U Lalit and K M Joseph refused to stay the CBI summons against Sana and also rejected his plea for recording of his statement in presence of retired former SC judge A K Patnaik.

Sana, on whose complaint an FIR was registered against the CBI Special Director, had moved the apex court on Monday seeking police protection and a stay on the notice issued by the agency summoning him for interrogation.

During the hearing, senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, appearing for Sana, said the businessman needed protection as there is a threat to his life.

The bench said that if there was any threat to his life it will do the necessary.

"We will say here is a citizen who claims to be a whistleblower and fears for his life. And he should be given adequate security," it said.

Ramachandran said a fresh summon of CBI and the change of Investigation Officer (IO) in the case would complicate the task of Justice (retired) Patnaik, who is supervising the probe by Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) into charges against CBI director Alok Verma.

To this the bench said, "Let the task of supervision be handled by Justice Patnaik. He will do whatever is required."

The bench thereafter dictated the order and said adequate security should be provided by Hyderabad Police SP to the petitioner (Sana) and rejected the other two prayers to stay CBI summon and recording of his statement in presence of Justice (retd) Patnaik.

The CBI had booked Asthana on October 15 on the basis of a complaint from Sana, facing probe in a 2017 case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, claiming that the special director had allegedly helped him to get a clean chit from the probe agency.

Besides seeking a stay on CBI's summons against him, Sana in his petition had expressed fear for his life and sought police protection during the pendency of the inquiry against Asthana, who along side CBI Director Alok Verma has been divested of duties and sent on leave by the Central government.

The businessman, in his plea, had referred to the apex court's October 26 order on the petition of the CBI Director by which the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was asked to conclude inquiry against Verma within two weeks under the supervision of former apex court judge Patnaik.

He had said that the CBI moved "in haste" to issue notice to him under Section 160 of the CrPC (Code Of Criminal Procedure) to attend the proceedings on October 29 before the probe agency and said that the same be recorded before Justice Patnaik.

He had sought the court's direction that he be questioned only under the supervision of Justice Patnaik.

Sana had also said that he was willing to cooperate with the probe by coming to Delhi as and when directed by the judge supervising the enquiry.

The feud between Verma and Asthana escalated recently leading to registration of an FIR against Asthana and others including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is in the CBI custody in an alleged bribery case.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.