SC Gives Ex-CBI Head Alok Verma An Opportunity To Defend Himself Even Before The Hearing, To Receive Copy Of CVC Report

In the ongoing saga over ousted CBI chief Alok Verma, the Supreme Court on Friday (16 November) decided to hand over a copy of Central Vigilance Commission’s (CVC) preliminary report to Verma, while expecting a sealed reply in return.

It may be recalled that after the CVC had filed a preliminary probe report against ousted CBI chief Alok Verma, the apex court had asked the CVC to complete the probe in a couple of weeks. The matter pertains to various charges of corruption against Verma.

Post that, M Nageshwar Rao, who happens to be the interim head of the CBI, following the orders of the Supreme Court, submitted a report on all the decisions he had made between 23 and 26 October.

In light of this development, Rakesh Asthana’s lawyer also demanded a copy of the CVC report, but the Chief Justice has reportedly declined the request.

The case so far has taken several ugly turns. The CBI had alleged that Asthana took a bribe of Rs 3 crore to settle a case against a Hyderabad-based businessman, Sathish Sana, whose name had come up during an investigation in the Moin Qureshi case.

Asthana had then accused CBI director Verma of instructing him not to examine Sana when he was summoned for questioning. In a letter to the cabinet secretariat, he has cited 10 instances of interference from Verma in the case.

The next hearing in this matter is scheduled to be held on 20 November.