___ _____ [ciwjwoifJ CBI 3*tITftflWtlh* a flThT t&c*&th ithtr 4 NtIqqI9*flI fkII iru, Ifi ! %timi *hfl½ctr *1 9B RT1* 1T *1 tit%11; a uiit 4mu w i ______ __________ I A.. 91tLRI flir antc 1i* fltISfV ti iii _____ I %9NtiRtWftw 1T1k144 W *1 41I fl %ut ____ ____ iq'14ii a1Tttm n h ti fi HrtWT2fl t t iPiT V m r$Ak tff _______ gid.ki5nflh1ttt* flIflRTRI1 T1tbflT i mii - ___1T9T fT * till I tffl *IflUt ttTmTarw*i UNDER SCANNER SFIOs Saradha scam report likely to reveal clear money trail SFIO's report, which will be submitted by the first week of July, will also be shared with the CBI Shyamal Sen. SFIO force to investigate the case. asked over on 12 May, federal investigating agen- The se the by tion Serious Fraud Inves- tigation Office (SFLO) is vestigation submit its report multi-crore Saradha the first week of July, to of the retaries ments related the criticized Sebi and the Reserve ponzi consortium of a large number of companies that was running Bank of India saying that the fraud might not have occurred had the two agencies been vig- Multi-crore fraud In April last year, Soradha collapsed, causing an esti nutted loss of more than 2,000 crore to 1.7 million s,nall investors. several collective investment schemes. forensic unit of SFIO traced the dered Saradha was one of eastern Saradha Realty India to money trail from the servers of close all its collective the Saradha Group. Lie did not and firms comment on the exact quantum of money involved. within three months. - Both people are privy to the asked not to be One of the report and named. SFIO porate collies affairs two people said under the cor- ministry. are a few small tech- that SFIO has found verifiable trails of how funds fun- nical, nelled into and out of a "cenon "a daily basis. (the This person added that the report will be were tral pool' money from investors was to a complex web but tricky issues that need to be sorted outwith Sebi Securities Board and of India), Exchange after which finalized and di- submitted," the second person of said. He did not elaborate on the nature of issues that are companies at the end of every day "for purposes other than holding those it was intended". termed them "minor". This person claimed that the ilant. On 4 june, CBI said it had registered 46 first India's biggest deposit-taking the to the case. In April, the Supreme Court a of and made a formal re quest for the transfer of docu scheme being run by the Kolkata-based Saradha Group, contents the directors general of West Bengal Odisha and matter The fraud was caused by so-called May, looking into Team and of police independently confirmed. collapse of a 20 the case had met the chief sec- the events, two people with di- rect knowledge On team. agency said that a Special In- showing a clear money-trail of verted Supreme take cy set up the special investiga- NW DELHI raised to following which, the fraud the CBI the investigation into the case, AMAN MALIK on May, 9 On Court By investigating started the case in April last year. On 25 April 2013, it set up a task On 23 up the report, April 2013, but Sebi or refund The schemes money to investors SFIO report, Odisha and three in West Bengal. once sub- Some of the mitted, will also be shared with by the Central Bureau of Investi- chairman gation (CBI) which is investi- the fraud after a directive from the Supreme Court. gating In April last year, sortium collapsed, 'estimated 2,000 small loss crore of to investors. information reports (FIRS) in the case out of which 43 were registered in the con- CBI Sudipta Sen, and managing direc- tor of the Saradha Group; Debjani Mukherjee, director of the group; their business associate Arvind Singh Chouhan; Trina- causing an more than mool 1.7 Kumar million people booked include Congress member Kunal Rajya Nagel, Saradha Realty; Sabha Ghosh; Manoj director esti- by a comthe Datta, vice-president of Sarad- chairmanship of former Alla- leader of the Communist Party habad high court chief justice of India (Marxist). mates were mission set given up under and of These Somnath ha's media group and former OUTBURST Says govt asked CBI on dig dirt on him to scuttle his chances to be judge in top court Fake CBI officers who targeted businessmen arrested HT Corespondent WITH THEIR ARRESTS, THE POLICE CLAIM TO HAVE SOLVED TWO CASES OF CHEATING REGISTERED RECENTLY AT KAROL Airbus case PRESSTRUSTOF INDIA The visit of aCM team to London to record the statement of a senior executive of Airbus has been delayed. Qureshi case I-T probes CBI ex-babu's relative HI Correspondent gubernatorial assignments. Su ramanium opts Out, attacks government a 'Modi govt written a letter tothe withdraw scared I won't asthejudgeof thesupreme Court,' his office said. Though toe its line' officially June the govern- ment did not say anything feßureau New Delhi, (1.11 to candidature on the rejection, there were reports that its decision was based on a 25 CB report that raised an FE ELING letdown' by the BJP government and Supreme the objection to stating Subranianium that he had met the lawyer Court over the rejection of of former telecom minis- his name, former solicitor general in the CPA govern. case, ment Gopal Subramanium haswithdrawnhjscandjda- tore over what he feels is continued character assassination and malicious in- ter and accused in the 2G A Raja, inside his chambers along with the investigativeageney'soffi- vials. However, nlum denied Su&ama- in the communication to the CJI. it sinuations based on halftruths'todiscredithiswork over alyeara at the bar. In a letter to the Chief Justice of India RM Lodha askinghim towithdraw the reeonunendationofhiscandidatureasjudgeoftheapex Subramaniun has said: "I'm fully conscious that my hdependenc as a court, lawycriseausingapprehen- sions that I will not toe the government line. This fae tot has been decisive in re- Subramanium said a malicious campaign was on to discredit fusingtoappointme," He also said that there was a malicious campaign on todiscredit himanathat all charges agaiosthimare him and that all charges against him were false false. "It's a sad day for the that it has been compromised,' he stated, judiciary Sourcesciosetohimsaid that he felt let down by the government and the The confl'oversy rounding as a Supreme Court judge refused todie down withthe Supreme Court which he rntelugence Bureau thought did not stand up to Tuesday defend against him. name urn's Subramani- was recomm- raising (iB) on Issues his appohitment citing "personality oddi- consisting of five senior ties".The Cm also sought to link Subramanium to cOr- judges for elevation to the porate ended by apex court the collegium sur- his appointment along bench withsomeothernames.But the government rejected his name and returned the file over his name while clearing the names of Cal cutta High Court Chief Justine Arun Mtthra, Ocissa High Court Chief Justice Adarsli Kumar Cccl and former solicitor genera] and senior advocate Robin ton Nariinan for elevatior totheSupremeCourt. 'in the circumstances, he not (Subramanium) feel that does his name shoujd be reconsidered fot elevation to the judge of tht Supreme Court, So he hm lobbyist Nira Ratha, sayinghe had received certain favours from corporates, also something he has denied. He further said that the investigation agency tillrecentlyconsult. Ed him on some of its most sensitive cases. HC bench recuses itself from hearing plea in Adarsh case Mumbai, June 25: A Bom- found evidence against the High Court bench former Union Home Minis- bay Wednesday on itself ter as "deficient and insuffi- from hearing a petition seek- cient." The petitioner said direction to CBI to pro- the Adarsh Commission, in evidence during its report tabled before the ing duce entire its recused investigation Adarsh into Housing the Maharashtra Legislature, Society had observed that Shinde, in scam on the basis of which it his capacity as chief minis- had given a clean chit to for- ter, hadfailed to pay attention mer Maharashtra toasuggestiongivenbythefi- chief nUn- isterSushilkumarShinda nance "Not before us" said a Divisionbenchof JusticesVM allotment I{anade and PD Kode when the petition filed by activist department against of land to the Adarsh housing society The petitioner further said that Adarsh Commis- Praveen Wategaonkar came upbeforethem.Thispetjtion s was tagged onto anotherpe- note this and acted in undue tition which had sought to make Shinde as an accused in the Adarsh housing scam case. The High Court bench has recused itself from both these gaonkar petitions. had in Wate- July 2013 that "Shinde had failed to haste to bestow benefit onthe society" Maharashtra govern- m a two-member judi- cial commission, led by a retired Bombay High Court filed the petition seeking to judge 3 A Patil, with former make Shinde as an accused. state chief secretary P Sub- However, in its reply on October 9,2013, the CBI gave a clean chit to Shinde saying theyhadprobedthecaseand ramanian beingthe member, to investigate the alleged irregularitiesand corruptioit PTI ETSPECIAL INVESTIGATION CBI I-T Dept Spar Over Mom Qureshi CBI says it's nothing serious, but l-Tcliffers It began with an income-tax raid earlier this year on Mom Qu- reshi, a meat exporter and a prominent fixture of Delhi's social circles. But what seemed to be a simple case of alleged tax evasion has morphed Into a confrontation between two arms of the government, CBI and the Income-Tax Department. CBI officials say the whole affair is much ado about nothing, and that allegedlinks between Qureshi and Its former and current chiefs are largely trivial, But the I-T departsays the connections are mare serious. It is also not clear why Qureshi's phones were put under surveillance and whether ment the intercepts, If more of them leak, could embarrass the rich and-powerful as in the Radia tapes. Rohint Slngh and Aman Sharma deconstruct the affair Avery successful corporate lawyer, Subramanium is ironically the lead counsel of choice for both lB and CBI in all criminal cases Gopal Subramaiiium is MeticuloustoaFault roundingtheeminentlawyer. SAMANWAVA RAIJTRAY era! of them said. Subramanium cast doubt on the investigation NEW DELHI carriedoutbytheGujaratpolice. A successful corporate lawyer, Subramaniumislronicallythelead Former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who withdrew his The state had kept insisting that Sohrabuddin was missing, but a counsel of choice for both TB and CBI in many criminal cases, belt a 'dignified, fair' lawyer, consent to be a Supreme Court judge,ismeticuloustoafaultWhen courtnoticeatSubranianium'sper suasionforced the state to suspend the Italian marines case, the Bombay Blasts case and even the a very persuasive one a CBI team approached him with the case files of the Parliament at tack, which took place in 2(101 dur several top cops and initiate their prosecution. The state has stifi not Kasabcase,whichhefoucj-itfreefor been able toexplain to the top court the killing of Kauserbi, he was forced to resign as S-G. The resignationwasbecauseofex-law Sohrabuddin's wife and another minister Kapi! Sibal's move to bringinliFNariman In the 2G case ingthepreviousNDAregixne,he insisted that the team walk him through the crime scene before he decided to take upthe case. He won that case in court, but the officials went back to those in the corridors of power with tales of a! leged odd behaviour - tnessThlsiramPrajapatL crucla "I am sure Sohrabuddin has a lot to do with this, but NDA's assess mentpredatesthls,"asourcesaid.lt dates back tothe Parliament attack going to case, he said. ParliamentlnhisMundu,thefradl tional Tamil dress, in the early 'We necil hours of the morning, placingrose petalsatthefeetoftheGandhistat ue and then claiming that he now National Judicial understoodhowitailbappened. "Idon'tunderstandhow!canbe faultedforplacingrosepetalsatthe Gandhi statue and visiting a crime scene," he said on Wednesday Ever sincethen, legalcirclessay,topßJP leaders have had reservations over him. Vajpayee was of course the prime minister then. Another top lawyer insisted that tohavea His report in the Padmanab haswamy temp!e casealsogothima fair share of flak, that wasbeing monitored by SC. Those close to him say he left in disgust after he was allegedly targeted by a big corporate house in volved in the case. The govern ment is also said to have faulted himforbelngpassiveinthefaceof claims much of it Seniorlawyer Arvind Dattar said is exaggerated. "I was leaving the place after a short trip. I was the amicus. But I re turned as I got a feeling that! was that he would have been a "very good" judge. "A pity he has with- namesbehind closed doors' 0 v missing something. Some people call it the sixth sense," he said. "I - - - anaggressivecourt. Seniorlawyer Rajußamachandran,acloseMend, calls him a "dignified, fair" lawyer averypersuasiveonetoo. "Heis generous.charitabletoafl,"hesaid. th A close friend calls him the Maharashtra govenmient after h g Subramanium commission toexamineall DIGNIFIED, FAIR drawn,"he said. A section of lawyers, however, blamed the current appointment process thrthe imbroglio. "The gov the charges against Subramanium were "ridiculous". "He has been fried and convicted in the media was able to understand much be cause! knew Sanskrit. We found gold and silver worth crores (inthe temple)," he said. His fascination ernment is onaback-foot under the presentprocess as it is bound toaccept the names of those suggested withoutbeinggivenachanceto withesoterlcsubjectssuchastan rebutthese silly charges," he said. tra, cognitive sciences as weli as "We need to have a National Judicial Commission to examine Instead, Subramanium's role as amicus curae in the Sohrabuddin mental ifinesses such as schizho phrenla, bi-polar diseases have Shellth case was the clincher, sev added to a sense of mystery sur bythecolleglum,"he said. all names behind closed doors and in complete secrecy," A sen br lawyer said. \. I ¼LJ 6 - j - - - \\' I /' z GIVINGPRIORITYTOHOMEAFFAIRS ' Rajnath Singh Okays MHA Presentation to PM Modi Home ministry to say its priority is to reduce Left-wing terror & ensure women safety Listing Home Priorities - NEW DELHI /t Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a presentation Mother demand of Left-wing extremism violence to "insignificant levels" and setting declaring six communities up a unified emergency response in safety of women, Anotherlong-standlngdernandof declaring six communities in AssamasScheduledTribes(ST)and creating an auxiliary battalion of misguided youth and surrendered terroristslnManipurwillbeacted upon, the ministry plans to say in MinistrytoaccOrdprtorityto 'restoring normalcy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week In which his minis try will say its priority is to reduce 'system like "911 in USK to ensure fl creating an auxiliary battalion of misguided youth and surrendered terrorists Manipur - tocometoapolicestationanylongen tofileacomptAlong-pending "lINL proposaiofhavingaunifiedemer gencynumberfQrpolice,ambulance IMIII andflre servicesacross the country like the 911 in USA, will also be fasttracked now, the ministry wifi inform theprime minister. Left-wingextremismorMaoistvio- - Assam as SB and 'in in J&l< and ensuring return of migrants to the Valley a -. - ,I Piansto achieve peace accords with two main '' I , , insurgent , organisations lence remains the biggest worry for thegovernmentAsperlatestfigures upto May3l, 2014 compiled by the home mmistry violence levels this yearinMaoist-affectedstatesremain thesameasintheyear-agoperiod. Thelßwillprepareastate-wisescenario of Left-wing extremism that will be presented to the home ministerduringameetingtobechairedby him with the police chiefs and chief secretaries of Maoist-affected states on Friday The ministry's presents- thepresentation. will be Giving ST status to six communi tieshasbeenademandoftheAssam acted upon government as wellas ULFA, which raised the issue during peace talks uponsettingupa"credible"national with the Centre last year The objec five behind this is keeping illegally Population Register aIPR), officials privy to the details said, admitting settled Bangladeshi immigrants at bay as ST status will ensure land rights forthe tribes, prevent allena this could be construed as a vote of no-confidenceinthe 'Aadhaar'mech (tNt), with whom negotiations have been goingonfora longtime, The is ment, enforcing rights and entitle- anism of the Unique Identification publicperceptiohaswellascoordina- tion of Authorityofindia. In the presentation, the ministry will accord priority to 'restoring sueof safetyof womeninmetroshas alsohauntedtheministryforlong.lt now plans to propose to the prime ministerthattheproportionofwom The modernisation of policeforces, comprehensivepolicereforms,ensur en in police forces be increased and online filing of complaints be imple Ing registration of all complaints as FIRs and having "smart policemen" mentedtoensurewomendonothave arealsopartofthepresentatlon. land and ensure greater number of reserved seats for the communitiesintheAssamassembly The ministry will also tell the PM that to curb illegal infiltration into the country It wifi immediately act in the Northeast. ULFA and NSCN (11.4) identity system using the National normalcy" in Jammu & Kähmlr and ensuring return of migrants to the valley It will also Inform the prime minister that it will act upon achieving peace accords with the twomaininsurgentorganisations in the Northeast, the ULFA and NSCN tion to the PM soon thereafter will say that reduction in Left-wing extremism violence to insignificant levels will be achieved by measures Including ensuring security develop- ments of people, concentrating on tionbetweenvariousstakeholders, _ " .iz4 MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE Officials say phone tapping affair of the hitherto obscure meat exporter Mom Qureshi could blow up into another Radia tape episode Conspitacy Cries Fill Air as CBI, ITT Men Fight Over Qureshi Link ROHINI probing the case claim that the case against Qureshi isa strong one in SINGU & AMAN SHARMA NEW DELHI puhlicby personsciose to Qureslilto deflectattentionfromtheallegedtax of a probe agency evasion, which the officials say is one of the largest in recent times. These IT officials also strongly deny - Sinha probe into the affairs of a hitherto obscure meat exporter called Mom Qureshi that theirprobe is motivated by any c two epartinents seemmgly working at cross purpos es, two unrelated investigations and c eous cons era on. A response to the CE! s letters on the matter has been approved by a controversial phone tapping. ET spoke to almost a dozon people in the government to piece together a strange story of how a seemingly Finance Minister Arun Oakley, I-T officials said, and wifi be sent soon. ITofflcialsalsosaldthatatthisstage theagencyisunlikelytosharephone isa anodyne probe h HEART of contro- between and Qureshi ges exchanged sjn, £81 COUNTERING by polnting to its londerof _ politician had met in Qureshi's farm house in Delhi, withquresbl-whoisbeinginvesti gatedby the income tax department Qureshiisongoodtermswithseveral politicians and the intercepts could embarrass many people like the B,]? der surveillanc likely latelast year 1 an example of therange of Qureshi's contacts. Healsopredictedthatasin the Radia affair eventually noact of the content of some of intercepts have come into the public dcmain. Qureshi is a family friend of Singh criminality would be unearthed but reputationscould be destroyed. andis also an acsualntaitce of Sinha. "Making the investigation intoa high-profile mat er instead of treatingitlikeanyothertaxevasion case is being done deliberately to put ' WIDE ANGLE . p instrumental - seniorCßlotllcial. Thecfllofflcialallegedthatthein vestigations into the StockGuru fA '+ againsi Mmii Cl-, 31 ia 1., I + tOO scam, where theroleof severallTof ficers is being probed, and Aircel One of the IT officials cited earlier Maids deal has led to inter-depart mental friction, The official also allegedtheieaksontheQureshimat claimed that the intercepts "reveal some interest" of Singh In the Qureshi matter and the matter has tercriginatedinthel-Tdepartinent. "We had written to the IT depart been brought to the notice of the new government. The flOPs unease with Singhwasevidentwhenthepartyhad ment almost a monthback seeking detailsof crlminalitybypubllcserv ants but there has been no response, We sent them a reminder also," Sinha told ET late last week, lie de dined to speak on allegations that the Qureshi matter was being used to settlepciticalandotherscores. Thelncóinetaxdepartmentstrbng ly denies any leak by its officers, "Sorry I cannot respond to any is suesonmattersunderinvestigation. Chaudhery member Investigation, Centralßoardof Direct Taxes Other officialsof the department .4'.' - .. i ' „ :" "I b .t.t rt -' . ' o-. ; -' .it' „ i ' .1. , - ". - .rjU 'tM ' _____ .. , .1 - -' ' I 't' " " , ,' 'kAi. b .h, ,' -- :. -- -----. - to resign if the new government so desires," saysthe officiaLl-Jowever, a person close to Singh pointed out thatthe notices are "general" inna ture and don't refer to any transac notraisedanyspecificqueryrelated to the inqqiry but has instead asked Singh is now a member of the Union Public Service Commission, "Hisisaconstitutionalpostandthe for income details since 2006." GB! officials say that the investigation is nothing but hot air and is a case of government has to decide which is the competent authority that can recommend action against him," says the IT official. The alleged "In "classic tit for tat". "Mom is a goodfriend of mine and there have been no financial deal propercontext," saysthe official. The IT official said notices had beenlssuedto Singh,hismctherand ' hiswifa'ThisisenoughtogetSingh' _________ ings between us except for renting out my family basement to him after retiring from the (181. There have beenno conversations withhini on anyongoingCßl case whenlwas the CBldirector,"APSjnghtoldEt People close to Singh also point out that Qureshi is notan accused in a ' bNIRBAN BCRA TOO MANY FRICTIONS ', ' CBI arrested a + #4 taXman anu is tion. "This is nothing butpaire bar assmentsincethelTdepartmenthas opposedamOve to lnducthim in the NationalHuman Rights Commission, terest" refers to some text messages exchanged between Sirigh and Qureshi "which have to be read in Icanonlydenytheallegationof leak from the IT department," says XV ''i' M' M I in cases ifling AYit.i.' 4 j'f'. PP Singh was pressureontheagencyforitainves tigationsintocertaincases,"saysa "_ .4 Radia tapes," says an official of an, investigative agency, who was giving by the tax authorities and details of the Investigation, as wellas well as eng pro leaks to Mj.i'e; ' ii secularpartyandapronil nent Qureshi's phones were placed un into the media on the Qureshi matter origimated in the IT department i two of its chiefs, former head AP SinghandcurrentbossßanjitSinha, forallegedtaxevasion. probe where several l-T are ° severalpollticiasfromUttarPradesh including some in the B,]? "Last yeaz aroundtheMuzzafarnagarriots,a (GB!) has had to deal with a contro versy of sorts over the past few weeks relating to the association of allegations Stock Guru scam and Aircel- Maxis deal L The -- - versy is the alleged text mes Quresbi, prominent in Delhi's social circlestillrecentlyisfamiliarwith Central Bureau of Investigation - -- AT ThE SAYSTHE issues involved, the background. gated by the I-I department for alleed tax evasion intercepts with as one official put it, 'Radia tapes' case.Mostofficialsdeclinedtospeak on record given the sensitivity of the first and current boss Ranjit Sinha facins flak for 'links' with Qureshi who is being investi- other agencies. Jaitley declined tocomment. into tax evasion is threatening to blow up Into another, - FORMERCBlchiefAPSingh Behind this unusual pub lie statement by the head was referring to an ongoing But Going Round & Round volvingtaxevaslon of ovefl2®cr director Ranjit SinhaThe IT officials say that the details ofthelnvestigationhavebeenmade calls It a witch hunt. Cm - '" rJrOLJing many _________ - TENSE RELATIONSHIP WW' - CB I Flnmin ' - ' differences also due to action the Arrcel-Maxis deal in with the law, as exhaus Gcordance ALL FRIENDS tively Interpreted by the Hon'ble O . Supreme Court." ures i,illS en But IT officials say three months after the circular from the cabinet '4k ar Wlii I i ami secretary, the department's power to Intercept phones on grounds of ml .LVCI UI nnl'tirinnc UP frnm I¼.II u.s IJtJ lUIII inrludin ' b nm '-"II" tax evasion were restored. "The only difference this time was that Revenue secretary had to personally approve the request," says theofficlal. the p from BJP criminalcase. "The Qureshi affair also suits the new government because the CBI under A? Siugh was instrumental in filing cases against RiP general see retary Amit Shah in the Tusiram ?rapatl fake encounter case," says' an official of another investigative agency who Is alsofamiliarwiththe intricaciesofthecase, ' oth Pr bes Lurking somewhere in the background of this murky affair, say a number of officials at investigative agencies, are probes Into two other cases by the CBI that seems to have upset theta department. One of two probes in which the paths of the two agencies have crossed is the Stockguru scam. But the people close to Singh said charges had been tiled against Amit Shah during Singh's tenure, as the andhiswifekabhawerearresteijby entire hierarchy of the CBI had rec ominended such a course of action, Qureshi could not be reached for the Delhi police for allegedly duping almost two lakh Investors of 493 cr by promising them high this story Investments in the stock markets through theirfirm Stockguru. Alh rd vs U r U returns on eswereraidedbythethcome'l-of. CclaJs in agencies say it is not clear if the IT department has powers to intercept phones to detect and In 2012, one UliasPrabhalcar Khaire Beforethearrests,ithaire'spremis. dTan Beyond the specifies of this easels the larger Issue of telephone tapping violation of privacy ficials in January 2011. It has been alleged by the Delhi police that cur- tarn tax evasion. They say it is not at all clear why Quresh l's phones were put under surveillance. IT officers Investigating the case "misappropriated" ?44 crores and demanded another ?30 crore to. weaken the case. Last December, CBI arrested a 2006 batch IRS officerYogenderMittal, an income tax deputy commissioner in "The Supreme Court has laid for tapp big phones inlim ited circumstances for exceptional the matter. Delhi Police's correspondence with CBI also names otherhlghprofile ITofficers. The CBI is reasons. Our case was that even if govt agencies tapped phones, the transcript was to be kept secret and also probing alleged involvement of other senior IT officers besides the ones named by the Delhi police, oflidais inthe agency said. several investigating " TiN guidelines obligedtobeusedonjyforinvestiga lion. Any conversation between two individuals no matter how promi nent and irrespective if whether they were speaking on public and The other investigation that CBI officials say led to unease between the agency and the finance minis- try was the Aircel Maxis deal. The prlvatemattersaredeemedtobepri. CBI hasfiled a FIR against several vate,' says Raian Karanjwala, persons includlngformertelecom a prominent lawyer who has repre sented Ratan Tata, who has filed a minister caseintheSupremeCourtaskingto Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi, chairman of the Maxis group T Ananda lay down guidelines that the govern ment should destroy Intercepts or Krishna among others. Maran has been accused of forcing Chennal preventthemfi-omleakjng, Shortly aflerconversations of cor porate lobbyist Niira Ratha were leaked out, a circular issued by the cabinet secretary in April 2011, based clearly stated that the law "does not permit use of telephone tapping has also alleged thatfirms controlled by former finance minister P and monitoring of conversations to merely detect tax evasion. There Chidambaran's son Karti had fmancial dealings with Sivasankaran's arespeciflclawsañdrulesthatcon firms. Karti Chidambaram has strongly denied all allegations of Im- tarn provisions for detection of un accounted wealth and evasion of taxes, and Interception of phones withoutpubllcemergencyorpublic safety being at stake Is not in ac entrepreneur C Sivasankaran to sell his stake to the Malaysian Maxis group when he was the telecom minister, BJ?leaderSubramanlanswamy propriety Sinha confirmed the CBI Is examining the allegation against Karti butdedllned to elucidate further. Govt cites CBI, lB reports on 2G case, Radia TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi: Official sources said the Centr&s reservations about Gopal Subramanium had entirely to do with seri- concerns raised by CBI and Intelligence Bureau(Jß). Disputing Subrainani- ous urn's claim that lB had cleared him in a report to the CJI on May 15, sources said lB had said the senior lawyer was keen on being involved in the 2(3 case even after he had been taken off it following CHI's protests. CBI had endorsed the lB report, sources added. The taped conversations with lobbyist Niira Radia too displayed a certain proximity and did not bear out the distance a law officer is expected to maintain, they said. Pl 3 cheats in police net TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi: Delhi Po- lice's crime branch has busted a gang of cheats who targeted businesscoming to Delhi's markets like busy men Chandni Chowk and Ka- rol Bagh for bulk pur- chasebyposingasCßlof ilcers. Once they picked their mark, one of them befriended him posing as a businessman while artother would enter posing as a senior CBI ofilcer and claim the victim was carrying fake currency They would steal his on pretext of checking it and replace It with paper cut in the money shape of currency The men were involved in 30 cases of cheating, adthcommissioner tional (crime branch) Ashok (landsaid. Ramesh Ku- mar (61), Kishan Lal (64) and Rajinder Kumar (45) were caught on Tuesday Govt turns down CBI's plea for Qureshi probe details New Delhi: The government has turned down CBI's plea for details of department's investigation into meat exporter Mom Qureshi's alleged illegal financial dealings, saying that IT the probe at this stage did not concern the agency Sources said the finance ministry said the investigation at this stage can cernedlossof revenueandfell squarely The ministry however, said the CBI could come in if the widening probe turns up other instances of illegality GB! has sought information following reports that a raid by Income Tax departmentonthepremisesof Qureshi had disclosed evidence about his close links the ex-CBI chief AI' Shigh. According to sources, investigations since have suggestedthat Qureshi within the domain of the Income Tax could have been helpful to other CBI of- department. ficers as well. INN Fake CBI officer his gang dupe businessmen Govt defends rejection of Gopal for selection as apex court judge Raja:achargewhichhasbeen - New Delhi: Rejecting senior lawyer Gopal Subramanium's allegation that BJP govern ment did not endorse him for appointment as a judge of Su- ''t'" deniedby Subramanium. Sources said that the lB * report . _ __________ government's reservationhad not have the final say in the appointment of judge,s. But as a as astakeholder in the consultation process, was entitled to be consulted and express its views. This is so elementary and he has spent enough years in theprofession toreal Ize this. He is raising the bo gey of Sohrabuddin case only to turn the attention away from serious concerns about his eligibility to be on the bench of the top court", said a senior official soux-ce. Sources disputed Subra manium's claim ID had in a report to Chief Justice of In dia on Mayls clearedhim be Subrarnanium to CBI sitive cases shouldbe sought. cerns raised by both CBI and Intelligence Bureau. does re agency's views on the former law officer's handling of sen i enthlytodowithseriouscon "Government' government ferred m's" negative" report on in prosecuting Sohrabud- din Sheild '"encounter" case, official sources asserted that was endorsed by the The ter the bureau itself suggested investigative that the preme Court hecause of his role CBL For steps to download and use Alive app, see P2 reversing itself later. They claimed that the lB had in its report said that Subra fore maniam was keen on being involved in the 2G case even after he had been taken off it because of CBI's protest. The agency had accused CO fll mi tte d judiciary' New De: termed as Congress has "ominous" the government's decision to reject Gopal Sulramaxilumfor Official sources said CDI in its report reiterated its deep dissatisfaction with judgeship Subramanium's ted judiciary". conduct in of the Supreme Court, accusing the DiP of wanting tocreate a "commit- the 2G eases, stating that he continued tobe show an tin Sharma lauded the former due interest even when he seizedtorepresentthematter, solicitor general as "one of the finest legal minds" of In- Theyalsoreferredtoßadia tapes suggesting that the con troversial corporate lobbyist Niira Raffia helped Subratna AICC spokesman Anand dia whose services had sought the SC in many high- profile cases including the "fake encounter case' of nium use the swimning pool of a luxury hotel in New Delhi Gujarat. area, and said that the tapes had been authenticated by the hind it. We can say without hesitation that Gopal Subra- CBDT The references to Sub the lawyer, then the Solicitor rumanian's conversations with former lobbyist Niiraßa ne,of seeking to get its officers on the2G case attend dia clearly displayed a certain proximityanddidnotbearout ameetingwith counsel of the the requisite distance a law of ficerisexpectedto maintain, former telecom minister A 'BJP wants "It is very clear what are the real reasons be- maniuni is one of the finest The legal minds of India. government wants a com mitted judiciary and politicization of every institution, which is dangerous," Shar- ma said. INN Subrarnanium slams govt says he doesnt want to be SC judge Ex-Solicitor General writes to Cii, says govt has no business to assess his character R SEDHURAMAN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT NI do NEW DRills, JUNE2S entitled to judge my Fbrmer Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium today shot off a letter to Chief Jus- in not considerthat the Executive Government is character after having seen me and professional domain for over 34 yëar...l also do not want my elevation to be the subject matter ofany kind of politicisationK public tice of India RM Lodha stating that he did not want to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme court in the wake of the Narendra Moth government's Gopal Subramanium Why is top lawyer angry Subramaniuni lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for Its report "Gopal reported of the SC Collegium for his elevation. In the nine-page letter, Subramanium said the as he was not pliable "The Sc collegium had recommended the ed reluctance to accept the recommenda reluctance to accept the recommendations FORMER SOLICITOR GENEL tions U of Subramanium and three as apex courtJudges, but the appointment of the SC Collegium for his elevation others He said the government was against his appointment as a judge of the apex court centre only accepted the proposals in respect of the others gov- ernment had no business to over 34 years..l also do not recommended the appoint- assess his after want my elevation to be the ment of Subramanium and "Over the past two weeks having seen his integrity for subject matter of any kind of three others as apex court several decades. quite a few media reports politicisation," he said. also character He said had a "sense he of unease He judges, but the Centre only said the government the accepted proposals in appoint- ment. These against me by the Intelli- by respecting the likes and court as he was not pliable. Subramanium strongly refuted the allegations lev- dislikes" "I am fully elled against him through of the government. do not consider that Executive Government "I the my conscious independence that as a "carefully planted is lawyer is causing apprehen- raising entitled to judge my character sions that I will not toe the line of the government." professional a ter having seen me in public and professional domain fQr The SC Collegium had Union tions ment as appoint- the respect of the others. was his voiced reserva- to assert its independence a judge of the apex have Government's that the Judiciary has failed against cases as a law officer. doubts leaks" about integrity his in handling the 2G scam case when he was SG and other about my reports speak of alleged adverse reports gence Bureau (IB) and the CBJ," he noted. These reports were aimed at generathg doubts in the minds of the SC Collegium, comprising the CII and four senior most judges, and the public over the "suitability and propriety of appointing me as a judge of the SC," he said. He saidthe lB had given "me a clean chit" on May 14, 2014, but the Ministry of Law and Justice initiated an inquiry after this "with a clear mandate to find something to describe me as unsuitable." He said the CBI had availed of his legal services for decades and if it had any doubt about his profession- al integrity it would not have done so. He said as amicus curiae in the 2005 Sobrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, in which Moth's dose aide Amit Shah was a suspect, he had recommended a probe by a special investigation team (SIT). At the same time, he had supported Shah's plea for bail as "I had no personal vengeance or any kind of grudge against" Shah, he said. Subramanjum slams govt FROM PAGE 1 Subraaniwn also denied that he had a joint meeting with CBlofficials, which was the 2G scam, and probing senior advocate TRAndyarujina, who was counsel for thr- mer telecomrninisterA Raja, an accused said in the case. He he doubted the ability of the government to "appreci- ate and respectthe independence, integrity and glory of the judicial not expect institutioit I do thls attitude to with time." 3 conmen posing as CBI officersarrested NEW DELHI: A gang ofthree men, who allegedly used to dupe businessmen by posing as CBI oflicers, has been busted, Envelopes and bundtes of newspapers cut in the shape of currency notes used for cheating innocent businessmen police saH on Wednesday. from nearby states have been seized The trio, Ramesh Kumar alias Massy (61), Kishan Lal (64) and Rajender Kurnar alias along with the auto rickshaw which was used in the crime Raju (45) were arrested yesterday by the Crime Branch after said. Kumarused to then call victim reallsedthathehadbeen a tip off that their third associate Rajender Kumar, an auto driver for taläng cheat4 die trio wouldhave fled them to nearby police station. trio ware involved in more they would come near Karol Bagh Metro Station, police said. Envelopes andbundies of newspapers cut in the shape of currency notes used for cheating innocent businessmen from nearby states hast been seized along with the auto rickshaw which was used in the crüne, police said. The trio allegedly told police that they used to identir 'soft 'targets' in busy inarkets in Delhl in the morning. fter choosing the target, Kishan Lal who spoke almost the scene the officer said. 11w than all regional langvagesofnearby 1n the auto, Ramesh Kumar states used to befriend hirn by on some pretext would asic the Chand saH, claiming that he has also had show the money he was carrying. Re would then 15 Inne, a After winning the trust of the target, Kishan Lal would put the money in a ydllowenve- mgarh, UP, reported 4 Karol lope and after some distance Bagh police station that he signal his associate Ramesh tactfully change the envelope was duped od Rs 50,000 while Kumarwhowouldbe watching their activities frorn a distance. containing money with a sim- on Monday a businessman of bun- Gurdaspur, Punjab, dealing in Ramesh Kumar would reach the die of papers and would then Surgical Instruments, reported spot and pose as Deputy SP of hand over this envelope to the victim, warninghim tobe careful in future. 'By the time the at Kotwall police station come for buying goods. CßEAdditionalComrnissioner ofpolice (Crirne) Ashokchand victim to ilar envelope containing 30 cases of cheating in Delhi, Among the recent cases) on person from Aza- tat he was cheatedod Rs 2.5 lakh in a similar way. Pll CBI judge hearing case of Amit Sha 5 transferred; court adjourned till 2 July MPOSISURIMJ Incidentaly, lost weck, MUMBA!: The special t;ra CDI filing an exemption application withotit assigning any reason to it ster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi Prajaptal, was on Wednesday transferred, rcasonjudge litpat had said. following which the court The court had on 9 May issued summonses to Shah adjourned the hearing on the Amit Shah's discharge plea. Special CBI judge JT Utpat was transferred to Pune, after which the Court hearing was adjourned tffl 2 July. Incidentally, last weck, judge Utpat had repri udge JT Utpat had reprimanded Shah's acivocate for rat's Anti-Terrorism Squad when they were on way from Hyderabad to Sangli in and other accused in the case, which had been trans Maharashtra and were killed ferred frorn Gujarat. ter near The CDI had charge sheeted Shah and 18 oth November ers, including several police eyewitness to the encounter, officers was killedby police at Chapri in the case, last September. in an alleged fake encoun Gandhinagar in 2005. Ibisiram Prajapati, an village in Banaskantha dis- manded Shah's advocate for According to CIII, gang filing an exemptionapplica ster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, ber 2006. tion without assigning any minister of State for Home, tinte ydu are giv who was claimed to have links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e exemption applica Toiba, and his wife Kauser reason to 'Every mg this 11. tion without assigning any Di were abducted by Guja trict of Gujarat in Decem- Shah, who was then allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind both the incidents. was Gopal bows out I of SC judge race PNS" NEW DELHI Qenior accuse the NDA Government of deliberatelydigging dirt against on by the NDA Government him due to apprehensions that he will not toe its line. "I am fully conscious that my hidependence as a lawyer is causing apprehensions that! will not toe to approve his selection. decisioncame the line of the Government. This factor has been decisive in ahead of SC Collegium's meetin which is expected to be hel the week to take a them refusing to appoint me" Subramanium said in his letter. view of the objectionsraisedbytheCentre Cites Govt's 'trust Subramanium's deficit' as reason or qu my against appomtment. In a nme-page let ter addressed to Cfl RM Lodha on Wednesday, Subramanium rebutted every charge against him contained in the report for - centre and the (ollegium. In Bureau, and an interview to aTV channel, Subramanium claimed that on May 15 the CJI informed him ofthe report that a"complete integfitytheciC the Law Ministry submitted to the SOC ollegium against him. including lB dearance was done before recommending his name warded to the Centre by the and Intelligence which In formed part defending CBI him, leveled sensa tional charges both against the Subramanium From Page 1 However, Government sources reportedly denied this charge claiming that the lB Subramanium went on to Wednesday withdrew his consent to be appointed as a Supreme Court (SC) judge following reservation expressed next a swimming club at her behest, he clarified that when as report came only on May 22. Gopal advocate OSubramaniuni His Gopal... to the Government. Continued on Page 4 kelated report on P5 "Under the circumstances withdraw my consent to I be appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court, and request you basiC (Cfl) to proceed on that the letter said. He cited his curiae in role as amicus fake the alleged killing encounter Sohrabuddin and of his wife Kau set Ri to question the Modi Government's adverse report him. He pointed out that against as amicus curiae he had sugto the court that Shah gested should not be allowed to enter Gujarat as a condition for his release on bail. Subramanium also clan- fled allegation by the CE! that in the 2G scam case he held a briefing with CR! officials in the presence of a lawyer of former Telecom Minister A Raja, one of the accused in the scam, during his tenure,as Solicitor-General. Subramanium said: officers 'CRI never met with TR Andhyarujina (senior advocate) at my home or office in conwith the 2G case:' However, this was not what the CBI said in its report, which came handy for the nection Law Ministry to reject his name to be appointed as a SC judge. The agency had claimed that a woman lawyer, who was Raja's advocate-on-record, was present at the 2G case briefing, to which the CEI officials attending the briefing had objected to. Regarding his role in the Nira Radia tapes, another factor flagged by the Centre to turn down his appointment, Subramanium said: "I had no contact with her (Radia) during my tenureas Law Officer (2005-i1)' Responding to allegations that he secured membership of Solicitor-General, he was advised by his physician to swim, at his request ASG Parag Tripathi arranged membership at Taj Hotel's swimming pool since the Talkatora Swimming Complex was undergoing repairs. Subramanium said he did the think NDA Governments' attitude towards him will change and that's why he decided to quft from the race for judgeship. He also expressed "unease" over the Judiciaryfailnot ing to assert its independence over the likes and dislikes of the Executive. In an interview to a TV channel, he said: "I am surprised that the judiciary did not protest on what is happening. I want to say to the Judiciary, that you must take a stand and likes and dislikes must not be accommodated in the likes of thinking' Stating that the decision to quit was his own choice, he told your the channel that it is difficult for a judge to start his career on a "trust deficit' particularly when it is the Government, which is the biggest litigant. Demanding a clear statement from the court to bring down the curtains on the allegations that have hurt him per- sonally and agonized his fami- ly, Subramaziluin said that even as he plani to return to his professional work as a lawyer, which he kept aside following his nomination as SC judge, he would cease tv practice in the SC, till the present CJI demits office in September. Three posing as CBI off icers' arrested for duping traders STAFF REPORTER I NEW DELHI Meanwhile, anotherpersoncame to both of them and introduced rj-tree men who posed as CRI I officxishawbeenantstedbythe himself as DSP of CBI. He made both ofthem sit in the TSR (three Crime Branch of Delhi police for cheating businessmen for Jakhs of steeler scooter taxi) and told them have been arrested and they have been identi fled as Ramesh Kunmr (61), Kishan Lal (64) and Rajender Kumar (45). rupees. The accused lueposingasCßlc& cers and were cheating the busi nessrneruawere registered them at Kotwali Police that he is taking them to the police station. He stopped the TSR and told them that there is information on counterfeit currency and asked them toshow the money Thebustnessman took out three bundles of ?1,000 amounting to !two and a halflakh and handed it tb the per- Police son chiming as the Deputy SP of CR!. The conman put the bundles Stations. On June 24aOaatrap was bdC.rimeßranch&,euthsaM in a yellow envelope and returned it. Then they left the envelope and the conmen were ant Additional Commissioner of went away After dieddng the envelope after sometime, they foundpapercutsinshapeofcur against Station and Karol Bagh POIICe Crime Branch, Ashok Chand, said a businessman of Gurdaspur, Punjab (Dealer of Surgjcal Instruments) lodged a report with Kotwali Police Station that when he was in Chandni (iiowk, he was accosted by an unkiowupaon v,ho daimcd that he was from Puqah and had come to purchase electrical items. rency notes and not his money On June 15th 2014, a person from Aiamgarh, UP reported at Karol Bagh that the two came to their to purchase automobile spare parts. Two persons came to them and said they were from CB! and l Vowed the same modus operan- 'di, A case has been registered. FAXE CBI OFFICIAL ASSOCIATES HELD NEW DELI«: Three conmen, including two elderly men, have been &rested by the crime branch tor duping busiof various nessmen states by posing as COl otticials. With their arrests, police claimed to have solved twa cases of cheating registered at Kotwali and Karol Bagh police sta- tions. The accused have been identified as Kishan Lal, 64, Ramesh = Kumar, 61 and Rajender Kuniar, 45. I " 111. " I I I I " I I By arish V. Nair In New Delhi THE APPOINTMENT of new judges to the apex court became a embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday as former solicitor general and eminent lawyer Gopal Subramanium withdrew himself from the exercise. In a letter to the Supreme Court Chief supreme i I, A Justice dated June 25, Subramaniumwithdrew from being considered for the appointment, accusing the National Democratic Alliance government of using the Central Bureau of Investigation ging" for "dirt-digagainst him to sabotage his elevation. In his 'etter Subramaniunt reveaied his pain over "character assassination" and said the executive government is not entitled Thrn to Page 10 am fully COnSCIOUS ;t 4i w ISLC :dt: :$it !tS v " .4t\"' . i. V 'LflJ " that my independence . as alasyer is causing apprehensions that I will " not toe the line ofthe Government. This facto has been decisive in „ 4I" refusing to appoint me. GOPALSUBRAMANWM FORMER SOLICITOR GENERAL 'II I I 11,. I p 'Being targeted' "I assisted the Sc between 2007 and 2011 as amicus curiae In cases relating to Gujarat fake encounter eases. My actions were greatly appreciated and this was possible only because of the standards of integrity that I maintain In professional life and my undying respect. It appears that I am now being targeted because of this very Independence and Integrity. I cannot think of any other motive," Subramanium told reporters after sending a nine-page letter to Chief Justice R.M. Lodha withdrawing his consent to be appointed as a judge. "I am fully conscious that my independence as a lawyer Is causing apprehensions that I will not toe the line of the Government. This factor has been decisive in refusing to appoint me. All the allegations against me have been thoroughly investigated and I had been given a clean chit," he said In the letter. Asked why he opted out when the government would have been bound to accept his name if the coliegium reiterated the recommendation, Subramanlum said, "A slander match was going on using the media. A judge cannot begin with a trustdeficit. Position of a judge requires public credibility and confidence. These are high constitutional offices where you have fair sense of honour and participation. Nojudge wants to bean unwelcome visitor to the Bench. I'm sad that nobody In the judiciary also spoke up for me. I'm also surprised that the judiciary did not protest when the sacred rules and confidentiality regarding appointment of a judge was being thrown to the wind by the government and so I had to fend for myself. Government should have come out with the real reason why they did not like my name. But what they have done Is hitting below the belt", __________ _________ __________- - .. -. a..? - .a 4. I,JTJS . '. I tj " - 1 -. 1 ":.::;' I" :: ms imuna ' r - - a Factually Incorrect. CBlolfitlalsnevermet Raja'slawyeratmyhoine orthelroffictllzadasked cßloffldalstotellme - whetherthelrinvestlgatlon revealedanythlngagalnst flajasothatanlncon-ect standwasnottalcen "-: a":W IUSREBUTTAL WM.)A Ihadnocontactwlth .J.3L'Wb ZIS hefladia)duringmy tenureasalawofficer -fIiI'iS'[IIIUUUJIN&ILV4Wa4UJ (2005-ZOll).Mlegatlonls SWLMWV'.I4fIhWIJrILWfI lusedliadla'sofflcestoget hnmlngpoolmem tJi? 'I IU vlw i' i 'aj WqJjt bershlp.Thecorrectfacts tljl iTiI'IWt tilt, aiuir NII — ttJ fl tu.aft.ilu,il NIL ct IS 1 iW . _____ na a i9fliflt awi rj aiIISiIfIU,iIAi Ifl 'IPMMt&IP 4WWftPII[''" ' arethatlhadbeefladtsed throughswlmmlng.lhad r-i.jri; ILMI Jjflj 'Lit rr flj.a -. .. bershlpformeatapooL Mtersomethnelwas contactedbyTalHotel laiiioat. si -. hymyphyslclanatthettme togetsomeexercise - t4C-- : 1c.,.: :-. " .rt-;: -..' 1-:, .-: c i Former SG puts govt in the dock "I am unable to dispel the Sense of unease that the Judiciary has failed to assert its independence by respecting the likes and dislikes j9&flfl''f"j ç7'"'ç7ç7[qJ" I - '' „ oflhelfxecutive,lfsuchincu , aionsai'eaflowedtheinstitutionof judiciary can touch its bench mark,' he wrote In his letter to the I I ' ' ' " ' ' -' Subramanlusnsaidaftergetting clean chits earlierfrom CBI and thela,hewasshockedatthesud denmediareports with"malicious insinuations based on half-truths" and which appeared as a result of I . S , -, , - "I „ an . 4 ' ' IK. " , $ . - - , - ' I '' - - 'I „ " S , ' 'SW the colleglumsandof the public as to the suitability and propriety of appointing him as an Scjudge". "The TB had givenme a clean chit on May 14, 2014. I have reliably learnt that Law Ministry initiated Inquiry after May 15,2014 with a clearmaisdate to findsomethingto deacriheme as unsuitahle", he said, Meanwhile, Law Minister read ' , " '' 'Half truths' I i - '' Clisetjustice, I „ t' 1 - Th, 1 r "i " Shankar l'rssad refused to react to Subramanlum's charges, saying "appointmentof SCjudges being a sensitive matter, It won't be appro priate ordcslrabie for mc to make a comment. The government has a role in the appointment, but I would not comment." spokesperson Anand Congres Sharma slammed rcje tsun of Subramsniuni's name by he government, saying "What Is happening Is ominous.., the governsnent wants a committedjudiciary and politicisation of every Institution, which Is dangerous" 4 MAYI4, 2014: Sc couiegium recommends 4 Subramanlum's candidature JUNE 21: appo * Presidentapproves three other namesforjudgeshlpanduphoids tasSt'ud g es Subranianium's rejection by government JUNE 19a Centre rejects Subramanium's name without assigning reasons JUNE2O: Govt reveals a "negative" CBi report connecting him to 26 scam and Radia tapes as reason for rejection of ' JUNE 25: Subramanium withdraws for appointinghim as SCjudge accusing the MoW government of com "dirt-digging" to scuttle his elevation and crying foul of "character assassination" Former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanfum. Man posing as UBI officer among 3 held for duping STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE spare parts at Karol Bagh. Accordingto the New Delhi, 25 June victims, two unknown persons came and sta- Three persons posing as CBI officers were arrested for their involvement in as many as 30 cases of cheating. The accused have been identified as Ha mesh Kumar (61), Kishan Lal (64) and Ra jender Kumar (45). AccordingtopoliceabusnessaofPun deals with surgical instruments filed a in Chandni Chowk, he was accostedby an unknown person who claim edthat he was from Jalandharand had come to purchase electrical items. Meanwhile another person came to them and introduced himself as Special Director of Cm. He made both of them to sit in a car ted themselves as CBI officers. They asked both of them to sit in a car for taking them to the Police Station for verifying their antecedents. After few minutes they stopped the car and asked both the victims to show them the money they were carrying. Both the victims gave Rs 50,000. One of the con men kept the money in an yellow envelope jab, and returned it to the victims andtold them complaint that to go. After some time when the victhns opened the envelope they found pieces of paper cut and told them that he was taking them to the police station. He stopped the car after few minutes and told them that there was in the shape of notes and realized that they have been cheated of Rs 50,000. "The accused were arrested on the basis of an information," said a police officer. During the interrogation, the accused accepted their crime of cheating others. They disclosed thathow they associated withKish- an information thatthey were carrying coun an Lal who spoke almost all regional languages of nearby states. It was mutually de- money they were carrying, cided that after wining the trust of the target, Kishan Lal would signal his associates terfeit currency and asked them to show the The businessman took out threebundles of lis 1000 amounting to Rs 2.5 Lakh andhand to reach the spot and pose as Special Direc- edit over to the person who had claimed to be aC officer. After checking the notes, the said Cifi officer returned the amountto the businessman in a yellow envelope, On checking the yellow envelope, the busi nessman found piece of paper cut in the shape to call the third associate Rajender Kumar for taking them to a nearby police station. of currency notes and not his money, In another incident, a person from Main garh and his brother was cheated by who had come to them purchase automobile tor of CBI. After which Ramesh Kuinar used In the car, Ramesh Kumar on some pretext would asked the victim to show the money he was carrying. He would then put the money in a yellow envelope and after some distance tactfully change the envelope containing money with a similar envelope containing bundle of papers. - _____________________ . M HAjittery TheC&l bribes were paid In the AgustaWestiand deal. p overgiving Tatassecurity In NewD&hi THE Tata group's associ with AgustaWest .. .. ation Sources said there are concerns and the ministry is jittery to give a security clear once as the Central Bureau of Investigation (Cifi) is prob lug Agustastland in the Rs 3,700 VVIP helicopter contract which has been scrapped. The agency is investigating whether Indian swing officials were bribed to the deal in favour of AgustaWestland. According reports, to kickbacks worth Its 362 crore were paid. "The security clearance is pend lug for some tine as there are Issues relating to the OPT ease . 4dm thecouritryhashitaroad block as the Union Home Ministry is reluctant to give security clearance to the project citing allega tions of corruption against the Anglo-Italian corn pany in a defence deal. - - .- :.. ." - ' t';'t 1 ' . - - .. . - - a prohl, AgustaWestland Is still not a blacklisted company. "We are also of the view that stalled. nut it's asensiflveissue; we need to work cautiously to avoid any controversy," the oliiemiriistryomclaladded, AgustaWestland with Tatas for AW 119 Xi helicop (oU to begin assembling in 2011 but it was extended to - April 201& hell sell to its customers. IRL has obtained all necessary approvals from the government," a Thta Sons spokesperson said in a statement. Tatas clarified that the joint venture (31/) with Agustawest land has rio connection with the controversial helicopter deal of the Indian AirForce for the pur chase of AWIOI helicopters. "IRL business remit does not Include any selling activity for defence - a - ," I I * A A TATA SONS STATENENT Indian Rotorcrafttlni * Include any selling activity for defence ited (till), the proposed related entities. At a Joint venture with AgustaWestiand, Is for future date, lit could sell helicoptersto the assembling AWII9ICx helicopters. mi will domestic civil market export the assembled for civilian usage This is " I. H a tn..i-.. ne wit.. netiCopters to an tue pro AgustaWestland for itto posed venture's stated sell to its customers. lilt Intent to operate only has obtained all neces In the civilian market, liii has no connections sary approvals from the government. lilt busi with the lAF purchase of ness remit does not AWIOI helicopters. - it for it to relatederitities.Atafuturedate, heUeopters to the IRL could sell - - 'L*' . senior home ministry officiaL Dcs itetljealle at b assembling - -. A not been blacklisted In 2009 signed an 3 --' - fl. - A ,-t- -' „ ' -„,. \_- -, : AgustaWestland has against AgustaWestland' said - \" F ,p@' Indian domestic civu market for civilian usage, This is In line with the proposed joint venture's stated intent to operate only in the civllian market," the Tata Sons statement said. It Is alleged that the service ceilingor the altitude at which a helicopter carl fly was changed from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres only to allow UK-based AgustaWestland, which isa sub sidlary of Italian company Fin meeanlca. Without the change, its helicopters were anti even qualified for submission of bids, The change was suggested by Air Headquarters. The CBI has named former Air Chief S.F. Tvagi along with his cousins in the FIR registered by it in MaTch last year. The deal -:- " "tiii ç i I r"- r— c: i."" sith - fl , ? c.: Ic.: 4J&.bi;crl.: ';r4dir.j "?;ii' iltrj,t: *t"V,uk.*J:; -- ;WltTi i..iiti „,; ii?!!. !o _'fttj :2 „r,i. ,r,i. .-. ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _-_ _ _ (' was scrapped by the government after the illegalitieswere exposed and the CBI registered a case, The government then cancelled the deal of purchasing 12 ot which helicopters, three were already delivered and of over recovered an amount R52,000 crore. The cm Is planning to exam the two Governors In the case. I " 111. " I I I I i " 'II I I, I I By 4I" I 11,. I p A Harish V. Nair In New Delhi am fully coiiscious THE APPOINTMENT of new judges to the apex court became a embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday as former solicitor general and eminent lawyer Gopal Subramanium withdrew himself from the exercise. In a letter to the Supreme Court Chief supreme Justice dated June 25, Subramaniumwithdrew from being considered for the appointment, accusing the National Democratic Alliance government of using the Central Bureau of Investigation for "dirt-digging" against him to sabotage his elevation. In his 'etter Subramaniunt reveaied his pain over "character assassination" and said the executive government is not entitled Thrn to Page 10 I I ; 4ia I w S&C I :t: :$it !tt& " . 'Ji: " that my independence as alasyer is causing apprehensions that I will " not toe the line ofthe Government. This facto has been decisive in refusing to appoint me. $, .4t\""'" V GOPALSUBRAMANWM FORMER SOLICITOR GENERAL Continued from page 1 to judge his character after seeing him in public and professional domain for over 34 years. Subramaniuni raised serious questions over the independence of CBI and the judiciary, and said though the government cited a "negative" CBI report linking him to 2G scam and Radia tapes to reject the Supreme Court collegium's recommendationto appoint him as a judge, he felt his role as an amicus curiae in the Sohrabuddln case was the real reason behind the move. As the amicus curiae Subramanium was critical of the Gujarat government, then headed by Mod!, and brought out new facts on the basis of which apex court ordered a CBI probe into the case. Interestlngl3ç the government, which opposed Subramanium's name, had agreed with the collegium's recommendation to appoint former solicitor general Rohinton F Nariman and chief justices of Orissa and Calcutta High Courts Adarsh Kumar Goel and Arun Misra, respectively— as judges of the Supreme Court which have been approved by the President. - 'Being targeted' "I assisted the Sc between 2007 and 2011 as amicus curiae In cases relating to Gujarat fake encounter eases. My actions were greatly appreciated and this was possible only because of the standards of integrity that I maintain In professional life and my undying respect. It appears that I am now being tarof this very Independence and geted because Integrity. I cannot think of any other motive," Subramanium told reporters after sending a nine-page letter to Chief Justice R.M. Lodha withdrawing his consent to be appointed as a judge. "I am fully conscious that my independence as a lawyer Is causing apprehensions that I will not toe the line of the Government. This factor has been decisive in refusing to appoint me. All the allegations against me have been thoroughly investigated and I had been given a clean chit," he said In the letter. Asked why he opted out when the government would have been bound to accept his name if the coliegium reiterated the recommendation, Subramanlum said, "A slander match was going on using the media. A judge cannot begin with a trustdeficit. Position of a judge requires public credibility and confidence. These are high constitutional offices where you have fair sense of honour and participation. Nojudge wants to bean unwelcome visitor to the Bench. I'm sad that nobody In the judiciary also spoke up for me. I'm also surprised that the judiciary did not protest when the sacred rules and confidentiality regarding appointment of a judge was being thrown to the wind by the government and so I had to fend for myself. Government should have come out with the real reason why they did not like my name. But what they have done Is hitting below the belt", - " . - -t1-, ."- -" " I - " 20 SCAM GOVT/CBI flLi: " c to i " . Solicitor General, had met the lawyer of key accused ex r' ___ 'W 1W' "tC3-. -.," telecom minister A. in his office in the presence of Raja (lnset) CBI officers in charge of the at: probe. Subramanium attempted r'tic,'r _ _____ _ _____ _ ____ _ ____ "rf.pr?'j 4, "iL..:t to get CBl and ED officials to ....I. coordinate with Raja's counsel. GOVT/CBI ALLEGATION: Subramanium had links with corporate lobbyist Niira Radla phone conversations -,' are under scrutiny. His talks with Radia and her associates Indicated that a "t complimentary,:/:4. " swimming membership had s ra - been arranged for , himattheTaj Mahal Hotel. - Ju,_ '. .:, " __________________ :11 &114.th (In photo) whose Intercepted " iL'j'.:flw.v.j. ON RADIATAPES :t$ a .-." " " _____ ____ - . ___ _______________ _ _ _ '" t - 'mtlN, ", " .. tfltdit. ii di :.t''' - y'.';'.j:j .. ..k',-Ab'l!.'c - ". - V kh Li it" " ' " ___________________________ _______ _ _ _ _________________ _____________ "'. lii t - "'" -_ ________________ __ I Suprerile — 111 I ggjt Itt _ I . mLrttt:wcsrrldts!!t :1 #asri r.tr 4& t4' : nq; grae± - - "' --. . - tt . " " " '4 altegedadversereportj agalnstmebythem By __________________________________ of appointing me asajudge ofthesupremecourtr _________________________________ - " if "Idonotneedany jVjj certificate of character from the re after seeing me in the public andProfesslonai hadgivenmeatlean chit onMay 14,2014. Ihave Ministry initiated an inquiry alerMayls,2ol4,witha mandate to find somethlngto - - - 1 "IdlnunabletodpQJ thejjsp curlaelncasesrelatlngto " Gidaratfakeencounter cases. My actions Inthematter were greatly appreciated by the court and this waspossible only because of the st tlards iii Integrity that I maintainin professional life and my imdjjng thatthejudjcjYh ? f failedtoasjj not be aJJow, PtOtestag arania can'tthlnkofanyothermoftye:' ii agree i. liketo advise the Executive - overcome a , recoamlendation L however fl)'orivean those IflVOlved with youormaynot Interrogate you, Is extraneous to ________________________________________________________________________ " SupremeCourtinvarious pronouncements." ludges who only a very S prescribed by the Constitution and by the Supreme Court in various pronounce. meets," Subramanium said. Hesald segregation of his name had been _____________ done'without anyauthority" bythe Executiveandwithouttheknowledge orchiefius- says move isagalnst Constitutional framework tbatt.he belief that youneed Executive. Such incursioj and C&cutta HighCourts, Marsh KumarGoel and Arun Misra, asJudges of the Supreme Court) appear to be against the framework Constitutionandbythe : indeDendence byrespe,,tj New Delhi the Supreme Court coilegium. "if my understanding is correct, the three appointnsents(ofex-soiicitorgeneraiRohin ton F. Nariman and chief justices of Orissa Ex-SG pTthe Tlwould oiunse respect.ltappearsllnlnowbelnt 9refuJlyolches,ated targeted because of tbisyery Independence andlntegrlty, I againstthetramework _______________________________ 1 -.r$6!, ZOoyandzollasaniicus jg oftheSc)appearstobe further fortiflcatlonsi' 3'qanlststhescbe tue tiueeappornt andAiz and Venkatacballahstand byme,ldonotseek 1 6 Courts,AdarshKwnaxGoel ksslyor in were recommendedalong with him by 'Ifmy UndeF standingiscoirect, ments (of cx morning. Aslong aspersons Nyleannthatthe I _____________________ Harish V. Hair IN HIS nine-pageletterwlthdrawingconsent to be appointed as a Supreme Court judge, formerSolicitor General Gopal Sobramanium virtuaiiy questioned thevalidity ofthe appointment of three others whose names solidtorgeneralfiohlnton £Nariman&thlefjustices ofOrtssaandcalcuttaliigb domalnsiorover34years. Myth terandintegrity neednotbeprovny againstme.Thelß descrlhemeaSUflSwtle. goVernment CSIJ GB! andthe lB have beentisedto rMgout tell regardingmylntegrity?9 Ciis consent' minds of the colleglums and of the public as to the suitability and propriety " SOWbywilithey doIt If theyhaddoubis . 'What govt did was without S "MedMroportson and CDI are mal dous insinuations based on half-truths and appear tobearesultof carefully planted leaks aimed at generating doubts in the " lawyer In many sensltlve cases even after my resignationfrom the past of parliamentary democracy:' - tice R.M. i.odha and other members of the coiiegia. "The Executive does not have the powerto choosewhich mangoesareOKand the present legai framework." he said. I amdistnayedbyreportsthatthefiiefor warded by the SC to the government rec ommending four names for elevation (inciuding mine) has been segregated and the names of three candidates have been cleared by the governmentand the Presi dentThe segregation has been carried out withouttheflie beingsent backto thecoliegia for reconsideration. i have now reliabiy iearntthat no die was sent seeking reconsideration," he said in a letter to ci, in the missive, he fUrther said he wili only practice in the SC after Cii Lodha retires on September 27. "in accordance with the highest traditions, when a lawyer invited tothe bench does not get to become a judge, as a mark of respect he ceases to resume practice in that court, till the incumbent Chiefiustice deniitsoffice. 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