#dnaCBIExpose: Make your stand clear on CBI chief's meetings with accused, Supreme Court tells Centre

Strongly observing that the Centre has an important role to play and that it cannot remain silent on the issue of CBI director Ranjit Sinha's meetings with the accused persons, the Supreme Court on Friday asked it to make its stand clear on the issue. The apex court also took a serious view of the probe against accused Moin Qureshi, a meat exporter, for alleged hawala dealings and directed the income tax department to produce the appraisal report on him.

Union of India has an important role to play. We want to know your Centre's views on both the applications filed by the applicant (NGO Common Cause). Apprise us of Centre's viewpoint on it," a bench headed by chief justice R M Lodha told Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi during a hearing that lasted more than one-and-a -half hour.
The NGO, which has raised the issue of illegal allocation of coal blocks in the country – and the apex court has been monitoring the case -- moved two applications, one seeking CBI director Ranjit Sinha's recusal from the coal case after his meetings with several accused in the case, including Vijay Darda and Subodh Kant Sahay, and the second one demanding an SIT probe into Sinha's meetings with Delhi-based meat exporter Moin Qureshi, who is under probe for alleged hawala dealings.

Appearing for the Centre, Rohtagi said the petitioner has already raised the same issue before another bench. With regard to the appraisal report on Qureshi probe, Rohtagi said, "The report is not yet ready and it will take four weeks to complete it."

The department had conducted raids and a lot of things have been recovered and a report has been prepared which is internal and not yet finalised, Rohatgi said but agreed to produce the report before the court.

The bench said "show the appraisal report to the court on next date of hearing".

Filing an application, NGO's lawyer Prashant Bhushan has cited the content of the June 11 letter written by the director of income tax to the director general of income tax (investigations) on their probe against Qureshi in alleged hawala dealings.

Bhushan contended that Qureshi has worked as middleman between the accused persons and the CBI in the coal block scam case and the income tax department's report indicates that he has illegal dealings with several individuals.

He sought the court for an order to set up SIT to examine Qureshi's meeting with Sinha and also directing the department to place on record the said letter.

To this, the bench said it will ask the CBI to respond to it. However, before the court's order, the CBI's counsel senior advocate Amerendra Saran said that Qureshi has nothing to do with coal cases.

He countered Bhushan's arguments and said, "Qureshi is not an accused and in no way related to any of the coal block cases, and the court should not entertain the NGO's plea."

Saran also said "at present all the cases are being examined by the CVC and there is no question of director's interference."

On September 3, dna had reported that Qureshi is a friend of former CBI director AP Singh and the visitors' diary at the CBI director's residence reveals that he is equally friendly with Sinha.

Prime minister Narendra Modi had once accused Qureshi of having close links with 10, Janpath.

The visitors' diary accessed by dna discloses that Qureshi has visited 2, Janpath, the official residence of Sinha, at least 90 times in 15 months.

He seems to have been family friends with Sinhas as Qureshi's wife, too, has visited the CBI chief's residence on some occasions.