Fake bail bonds scam: Allow us to file new offence on case, CBI tells high court
THE COURT WAS HEARING A PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION BASED ON A LETTER BY ACTIVIST SAMIR ZAVERI
MUMBAI: Spelling more trouble for Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday offered to investigate 4.11 lakh bail bond forms given to RPF officers in Mumbai between 2006 and 2009.
CBI counsel Hitendra Venegaonkar said the agency was willing to register an offence and separately investigate the 4.11 lakh bail bond forms, instead of disturbing the trial of several RPF personnel being prosecuted over the fake bail bond scam of Kurla suburban railway station.
The statement came after the division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Amjad Sayed sought to know why the CBI did not investigate the 4.11 lakh bail bond forms given to RPF officials in Mumbai. The details were mentioned in the HC order of August 2011. The court was hearing a public interest litigation based on a letter by activist Samir Zaveri.
According to his letter dated December 2010, RPF personnel used to detain passengers found
crossing tracks at Kurla station and charge them under various sections of the Railways Act, 1989. They would take them to fake courts where one of the
RPF officers acted as a magistrate. The passengers were made to pay money as bail bond amount, most of which has been siphoned of. On August 29, 2011, the HC transferred the matter to the CBI, which probed the Kurla case, charge-sheeted several RPF personnel, but did not scrutinise the bail bond forms.
On Thursday, Zaveri’s lawyer told the court that though details of the 4.11 bail bond forms given to RPF officials were mentioned in the August 2011 order, the CBI had not investigated it.
Venegaonkar responded, saying the CBI was under the impression that only the Kurla case was handed over to them. He said the Kurla case trial has started and some witnesses examined.
He urged the court to allow the agency to register a new offence and undertake separate investigation into the 4.11 lakh bail bond forms, instead of disturbing the ongoing trial. The court will hear the matter on November 22.