CBI on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that charge sheet in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal involving former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran will be filed as the Attorney General disagreed with the views of its Director Ranjit Sinha to drop the prosecution.
A bench headed by Justice H L Dattu which perused the status report and other materials filed in sealed cover on the progress of the probe, said ‘after the opinion of Attorney General(Mukul Rohatgi), CBI has talked about the filing of the charge sheet at the end of the particular month’.
The bench made the remarks after senior advocate K K Venugopal, who placed the status report on behalf of the CBI, said that the apprehension was not justified that the agency was not moving forward for filing the charge sheet. He explained the sequence of events for delay due to difference of opinion between CBI Director and Director Prosecution on filing of charge sheet which was finally decided after AG’s opinion. ‘The Attorney General has concurred with the opinion of Director of Prosecution and not with the CBI Director,’ Venugopal said, adding that ‘all steps have been taken for filing of the charge sheet and that is going to be done’.
He said that Rohatgi’s 27 July opinion was received by the CBI on 4 August. CBI had earlier said that its domestic investigation was complete but was facing hurdles in its overseas probe as it was not getting cooperation from Malaysian authorities.
A bench headed by Justice H L Dattu which perused the status report and other materials filed in sealed cover on the progress of the probe, said ‘after the opinion of Attorney General(Mukul Rohatgi), CBI has talked about the filing of the charge sheet at the end of the particular month’.
The bench made the remarks after senior advocate K K Venugopal, who placed the status report on behalf of the CBI, said that the apprehension was not justified that the agency was not moving forward for filing the charge sheet. He explained the sequence of events for delay due to difference of opinion between CBI Director and Director Prosecution on filing of charge sheet which was finally decided after AG’s opinion. ‘The Attorney General has concurred with the opinion of Director of Prosecution and not with the CBI Director,’ Venugopal said, adding that ‘all steps have been taken for filing of the charge sheet and that is going to be done’.
He said that Rohatgi’s 27 July opinion was received by the CBI on 4 August. CBI had earlier said that its domestic investigation was complete but was facing hurdles in its overseas probe as it was not getting cooperation from Malaysian authorities.