CBI court orders criminal contempt against investigating officer

In a major setback to the Central Bureau of Investigation in the controversial Delhi Secretariat raid case, a special CBI court on Thursday ordered criminal contempt against the investigating officer in the case for submitting false reply. The premier investigative agency seems to be on back foot in this case as it is receiving flaks from the court in almost each hearing.

“A criminal contempt reference has also been sent to the High Court through the District and Sessions Judge, New Delhi district, requesting therein to initiate contempt of court proceedings against IO Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jayant Kashmiri and other officials of CBI who have approved the reply filed in the court on March 11,” said Ajay Kumar Jain, Special CBI judge in his order.

According to a senior law officer of the government — in a previous order the court had directed CBI to release the documents of Laxmi Enterprises. 

The CBI officers in their reply submitted in the court on March 11 that the order was challenged in the Delhi high court but could not produce any document in the support of their claims which led to contempt case against the officials. 

This is the same court which had issued warrant to raid the Delhi secretariat on December 15.

On Wednesday, the court had also castigated the investigating agency for its failure to submit any concrete evidence against Endeavour Systems Ltd to prove its allegations of wrongdoing and nexus with Rajender Kumar, Principal Secretary to Delhi Chief Minister who was said to be the main target in the Delhi Secretariat raid case. 

The court had also ordered release of documents and de-freezing of two accounts of Endeavour group. 

Earlier, the court had ordered CBI to release the documents seized by it during the Delhi Secretariat raid. So far, the agency could not produce any credible evidence against Kumar in the case to substantiate its allegations of corruption and nexus with private companies.