CBI Officer Probing Asthana Moves SC Challenging his Transfer
Bassi tells court he has "incriminating evidence", seeks SIT investigation into bribery allegations against the agency's No.2 officer.
New Delhi: CBI officer A.K. Bassi, who was probing an alleged bribery case against the investigating agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana, on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court challenging his transfer to Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice K.M. Joseph said "we will see" as the counsel for Bassi sought an early hearing on the plea.
Seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the allegation of bribery against Asthana, Bassi told the court that he was an investigating officer in the case and had gathered "incriminating material" when he was sent on leave by the government following an internecine war in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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It may be recalled that Bassi was transferred to Port Blair after the Centre intervened in the stand off between the agency two top officers -- Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana.
Bassi reportedly told the court that his transfer to Andaman and Nicobar Islands on October 24 was “malafide and derails a sensitive probe” and added that allegations against Asthana are “grave”, according to a report in The Wire.
The CBI officer also told the court that he had evidence of a Rs 3.3 crore bribe paid to those mentioned in the FIR against Asthana, and cited WhatsApp messages and calls as evidence, the report said.
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Bassi was transferred via an order signed by interim CBI chief M Nageswar Rao on October 24, which directed him to "join his new place of posting with immediate effect in public interest".
Several other officers were transferred along with him soon after the VErma-Asthana tussle came out in the open. Incidentally, both Verma and Asthana have challenged their forced leave in the top court.
"The mass transfers and other decisions taken by the interim chief will be scrutinised by the Supreme Court, which has asked the government to submit all orders by Mr Rao in a sealed envelope," as per a report by NDTV.
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