Games beING pLaYeD IN ‘corrupTIoN bureau’
Knives were out for a fight to the finish by the top leadership in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), until a “surgical strike” on Tuesday night by a special team under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval disarmed the two sworn enemies—CBI chief Alok Verma and his number two, Special Director Rakesh Asthana. But surprisingly, Verma moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday and Asthana earlier to the Delhi High Court for relief in no time. It was clear that they were expecting “a massive attack” from each other as well as from the Prime Minister’s Office. Their petitions were seemed to be ready in advance.
Asthana’s close senior advocate friend in the High Court, as a strategy, chose not to appear for him, and, instead, sent a former Additional Solicitor General to argue the matter in an alleged bribery, extortion and forgery case. However, Asthana’s advocate friend appeared in a special CBI court for arrested Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar. The court sent Kumar to seven-day custody of the CBI in the same case.
Kumar was the secondin-command to Asthana, who is the prime accused in the case The CBI told the high court that Kumar was part of an alleged extortion racket being run in the garb of the investigation. Expensive lawyers appearing for Kumar clearly indicated that his former boss, Asthana, was taking care of his subordinate’s legal battle.