CBI officer moves HC against Asthana’s plea

NEW DELHI: CBI Additional Superintendent of Police SS Gurm on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court (HC) alleging that the agency’s Special Director Rakesh Asthana was misleading the court and urged it to dump Asthana’s plea seeking to quash the FIR against him (Asthana).

“The applicant (Gurm) herein is extremely anguished at the misrepresentation of the facts by the petitioner (Asthana) herein in the instant petition and the... unwillingness of the CBI to contest this case with the seriousness it deserves,” said Gurm in his plea.

Gurm requested the court to make him a party in the petition iled by Asthana.

The High Court is scheduled to hear Asthana, suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devender Kumar and a third person, Manoj Prasad’s, pleas seeking the quashing of FIRS.

Gurm told the court that the CBI, through deliberate acts of omission and commission, would provide indirect support and assistance to Asthana.

Gurm was assisting investigating oficer Ajay Kumar Bassi in probing the corruption case against Asthana.

But in a midnight drama last week, the government divested CBI Director Alok Verma of his charge by asking him to go on leave and also transferred as many as 13 oficers of the agency, shunting out almost all those in Verma’s team.

Bassi has been transferred to Port Blair while Gurm has been transferred to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

“It is highly unfortunate that before the investigation could be concluded and the entire guilt could be unravelled, the Investigation Oficer was transferred overnight from Delhi to Port Blair,” Gurm said in his plea.