When confronted, ex-NSE head refused to recognise 'Himalayan Yogi': CBI

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday sent former National Stock Exchange (NSE) chief Chitra Ramkrishna, who was arrested on Sunday night over major lapses at India's largest stock exchange and accused of taking huge decisions under the influence of a "Himalayan yogi", to seven-day CBI custody.

The investigating agency told a court that it needed to question her and confront her with evidence as she "has been evasive" till now.

Ramkrishna was questioned along with her former aide Anand Subramanian on March 6, but she "refused to recognise him", the agency told the court.

"We have recovered 2,500 email exchanges between the accused," the CBI said, seeking 14-day custody of Chitra Ramkrishna, who has been arrested in a case of market manipulation.

Ramkrishna's lawyer argued that she had been questioned for eight days and that she appeared before the CBI on Saturday and Sunday, even after the court rejected her request for protection from arrest. He also argued that she has an "85-year-old mother and a younger daughter" and that her "liberty is being curtailed".

The CBI said: "She gave evasive answers and that's why we had to arrest her. We need to confront her with the evidence."

Ramkrishna was accused of taking decisions under the influence of a yogi living in the Himalayas by market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) in a report.

CBI sources recently said Anand Subramanian, the former Chief Operating Officer of the NSE, was revealed to be the "yogi" who communicated with Chitra Ramkrishna through email.

His controversial appointment was one of the decisions that Ramkrishna took under the so-called yogi's influence. She shared confidential information with him related to the NSE from her mail id [email protected] to [email protected] between 2013 and 2016, CBI sources say.