Relief for Rakesh Asthana as court accepts CBI clean chit

In a huge relief for former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, a CBI special court on Saturday took cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the investigation agency that had given him a clean chit.

Rakesh Asthana was removed from the CBI after a case of bribery and extortion was lodged against him; he alleged that this was done at the behest of then CBI director Alok Verma.

The court has accepted the chargesheet in which the CBI said no evidence was found against Rakesh Asthana. But a trial will now start against Manoj Prasad, his Someshwar Prasad and his father-in-law Sunil Mittal. The CBI chargesheet was only against Manoj Prasad, but the court found sufficient evidence to pursue the trial against Someshwar and Mittal.

During the hearing, the court observed that as far as Rakesh Asthana and former DSP Devender Kumar are concerned, it concurred with the CBI



finding that there's no sufficient material against them.

Devender Kumar was arrested by the CBI. The court had given Asthana protection from arrest.

The duo can be summoned if and when there's material evidence against them.

The CBI case will be pursued under three IPC sections -- 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) and 385 (extortion) -- and sections 7(a) and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case against Asthana was lodged on the complaint of Satish Sana Babu, a Hyderabad-based businessman. In a statement to the Enforcement Directorate, Satish Babu allegedly revealed that he never took Rakesh Asthana's name in the complaint, but the former top cop was made accused number one because Alok Verma wanted to settle a score with him.

Rakesh Asthana is eligible to become the next CBI director.