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Quattrocchi row: SC to hear contempt petition against CBI chief

It has been alleged that the CBI had committed contempt of the court by witholding information of Quattrocchi's detention in Argentina.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear on Friday a criminal contempt petition against CBI Director Vijay Shanker and DIG Harbhajan Ram, on allegations that the agency consistently misled the apex court over the extradition proceedings initiated against Bofors pay-off accused Ottavio Quattrocchi.

The fresh petition for initiating contempt proceedings was filed on Thursday evening by advocate Ajay K Agrawal, who submitted that the agency had filed false affidavits in the court on the issue despite being in the know of Quattrocchi's arrest and subsequent release on bail by an Argentine court.

The petition would be heard by a Bench headed by Justice CK Thakker, which had on February 26, termed as "a serious matter" the allegation that the CBI had deliberately withheld information on Quattrocchi's detention in Argentina.

Agrawal, in his contempt petition, submitted that the CBI had committed contempt of the court by deliberately witholding the information of Quattrocchi's detention in
Argentina, on February 6 on the basis of a "Red Corner Notice" issued by Interpol.

It was alleged that the details of Quattrocchi's arrest on February 6 and his subsequent release on bail on February 23 were in the knowledge of the CBI, but the agency willfully chose to conceal the same from the apex court when the matter pertaining to the defreezing of accounts and his extradition came up for hearing on February 12.

The petition also accused the CBI of deliberately witholding from the court on February 26 information about the release of Quattrocchi on February 23 by the Argentinian
authorities.

Had the CBI informed the court about the release, it would had enabled the apex court to pass appropriate orders on the extradition, the petitioner submitted.

Hence, it urged the court to intitiate contempt proceedings against the CBI Director and the DIG so that it acts as a deterrent against others from misleading the court.

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