‘Realise my mistake’: CBI’S Rao to SC on Muzaffarpur
Ex-interim Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief was pulled up for transferring an official supervising the probe
NEWDELHI: M Nageswara Rao, the former interim chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Monday tendered an unconditional apology before the Supreme Court for transferring out of the agency joint director AK Sharma, a senior official supervising a case of alleged sexual abuse of minors in a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.
In an affidavit, Rao said he cannot even “dream of violating court’s orders”. “I sincerely realise my mistake, and while tendering my unqualified and unconditional apology specifically, I state that I have wilfully not violated the orders of this Hon’ble court, as I cannot even dream of violating or circumventing the orders of this Hon’ble court,” read Rao’s affidavit.
Last week, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi termed the transfer decision “full contempt of court” because one of its earlier orders explicitly said Sharma should not be shifted. The court summoned Rao and the agency’s acting director of prosecution S Bhasuran on February 12. It also asked the CBI director to identify officers who were involved in the transfer of Sharma from CBI. The top court is likely to take up Rao’s affidavit on Tuesday.
Bhasuran, too, tendered an apology. “Without in any manner trying to justify my actions, I beg to submit that, at present, I am the only serving additional legal advisor currently working with the CBI, despite there being 8 sanctioned posts of ALA. I am also currently working as Director of Prosecution, CBI, after the retirement of the earlier incumbent holding the post. As such, perhaps on account of the pressure of work, there was a lapse and error of judgment on my part, as I did not correctly appreciate the purport of the orders of the court,” Bhasuran said in another affidavit.
Sharma, a joint director in the CBI, was the senior-most supervising officer in the horrific Bihar shelter home case and the court, in two orders dated October 31 and November 28, said he should not be transferred. After his transfer, Sharma was appointed the additional director general in the CRPF. Records placed before the court indicated that Bhasuran had given an opinion favouring the transfer.
A report by TISS had highlighted that dozens of girls lodged at a government funded-shelter home in Muzaffarpur were allegedly being sexually assaulted.