CBI GETS SC RAP OVER NRHM SCAM

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up CBI for delay in examining vital witnesses in the multicrore rupee National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam cases, asking it to complete the job within three months

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rapped the CBI for delay in examining vital witnesses in cases of the multicrore rupee National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam, in which former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Babu Singh Kushwaha is one of the accused. The court also directed the investigating agency to complete the job within three months.

Senior advocate Go pal Subramaniam, appearing for Kushwaha, said the accused has been in jail for the last three years and eight months and astonishingly, CBI has not examined considerable number of witnesses in any of the four cases registered against him.

The bench was critical of the CBI for not being able to examine key witnesses in the four NRHM cases so far and made it clear that the accused may be granted bail by the trial court if CBI defaulted in examining witnesses.

“Incarceration cannot go on for forever. It is unacceptable. You (CBI) give us the time-frame by which you would examine the witnesses otherwise we will grant them bail,” the bench observed at the outset.

“We are inclined to direct the prosecution (CBI) that it has three months to examine the witnesses which it considers vital for their case,” the bench said.

T he bench, comprising Justices TS Thakur and PC Pant, asked the CBI to produce the key witnesses before the trial court for recording of statements and said that pendency of applications filed by some of the accused seeking alteration of charges will come in the way of trial.

The apex court, which further asked the accused, including Kushwaha, to not delay the trial court proceedings, also directed the CBI to not add many witnesses as “vital” in the list of persons to be examined.