Complete forged letter case trial against Tytler within year: SC

WHILE TYTLER IS AN ACCUSED IN THE 1984 ANTISIKH RIOTS CASE, ARMS DEALER ABHISHEK VERMA IS A WITNESS

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the trial court holding trial of Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and controversial businessman Abhishek Verma in an alleged corruption and forgery case to complete the process within a year.

“Expedite the trial in one year,” said the bench of justice Arun Mishra and justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar as it dismissed the plea by the Congress leader Tytler as withdrawn.

At the outset of the hearing, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tytler, told the bench that he has impressed upon the petitioner to withdraw the plea. Tytler had moved the top court against the framing of charges by the trial court for allegedly using a forged letter addressed to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 on the letterhead of the then Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken.

Earlier the Delhi high court had refused to set aside the trial court order to frame charges against Tytler and Verma in the case. On December 9, 2015, the trial court ordered both to face trial in the case.

The trial court’s order had come on a complaint by then Minister Maken that a forged letter on his letterhead was written to Manmohan Singh by Verma, seeking easing of business visa norms.

Tytler and Verma were chargesheeted on charge of attempted cheating and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI has alleged that Tytler “actively connived” with Verma to cheat a Chinese telecom firm and that the Congress leader had shown a “fake and forged” letter to the company officials, claiming that it was written by Maken to the Prime Minister.

The trial court had said prima facie, both accused had tried to cheat officials of ZTE Telecom India Pvt Ltd on the basis of forged letter and Verma had demanded a bribe of ₹50 lakh.