Lawyers battle it out in HC to defend CBI

Awkward moments were witnessed at the Delhi high court on Thursday as special public prosecutor K Raghavacharyalu and additional solicitor general Vikramjit Banerjee both claimed to represent the Central Bureau of Investigation on a plea by its special director Rakesh Asthana seeking to quash an FIR for alleged extortion and bribery.

As the hearing on the pleas by Asthana and his team member DSP Devender Kumar started, ASG Banerjee informed the court that he had been told to represent the CBI in these matters.

Banerjee appeared in the matter for the first time since the hearing started on these petitions on October 23. However, advocate K Raghavacharyalu, who had appeared at the previous two hearings, contended he had been appointed by the investigating agency to represent it.

“I have been appointed as the special public prosecutor in the case,” he said during Thursday.

Following this, ASG Banerjee sought some time to seek instructions and attributed this to a “little confusion”.

“There is a little confusion. Would you adjourn it,” he said.

The court, which did not make any comments on the issue, posted the matter for November 14 while extending the interim protection to Asthana from arrest.

Later, speaking to reporters, advocate Raghavacharyalu said he had been appointed as the special public prosecutor to represent the CBI in the case following an official notification and claimed that there was no docket of the CBI asking Banerjee to appear in the matter.

“There is no confusion. At 2.15pm just before the hearing, I confirmed there was no docket by the CBI asking the ASG to appear,” he said.

A CBI spokesperson declined to comment on the development. Banerjee refused to comment too.

Meanwhile, the CBI filed its reply on the pleas by Asthana and Kumar questioning the maintainability of the petitions.

It said that the probe against Asthana was at a nascent stage and several incriminating documents as well as the role of other persons were under investigation. The matter would be now heard on November 14.