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Centre, CBI told to file response on plea over phone tapping (Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Central government and the CBI to reply to a plea seeking direction to constitute a SIT to look into the abuse of power by some officials of the investigating agency by illegally tapping phone calls.
A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao asked the Centre and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file their reply and listed the matter for further hearing on March 26.
The court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer and social activist Sarthak Chaturvedi, who has also sought a direction to the Centre for framing comprehensive guidelines regarding tracing, tapping and surveillance of phone calls.
The plea also sought accountability of officials.
Quoting an application filed by senior CBI officer Manish Sinha in the Supreme Court, the plea claimed that mobile numbers of several individuals who had made phone calls to Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana were illegally intercepted by the special unit.
“On October 17, the Director CBI briefed Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor (NSA) and informed him that Asthana’s name is cited in the FIR. Subsequently, on the same night, it was informed by Special Unit to Manish Sinha that NSA has informed Asthana about registration of FIR. It was informed that Asthana reportedly made a request to NSA that he should not be arrested,” the plea read.
The plea asked: “Did they illegally intercept calls of NSA and Asthana?”
Chaturvedi requested the court to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the abuse of powers by some highly placed CBI officials by illegally intercepting phone calls of individuals without following due procedures.
He said that some CBI officials were misusing their powers for ulterior motives.
The Special Unit (SU) of the CBI deals with phone tapping and technical surveillance. It is headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank official.
“…immediately after the news broke out about arrest of Manoj Prasad, Somesh Prasad made calls to Samant Goel, who made calls to Asthana. There were four calls between Somesh and Samant Goel and four calls between Samant Goel and Asthana by October 17 afternoon,” the plea read.
“There was also a call between Dineshwar Prasad (father of Somesh Prasad and Manoj Prasad) with Samant Goel, Special Secretary, RAW. It establishes that mobile numbers of Manoj, Somesh, Samant, Dineshwar and Asthana were intercepted illegally by Rakesh Rathi, DIG, SU.”
He told the court that at that time Rathi was heading the SU and reporting to A.K. Sharma, Head of Policy Division, and eventually to Alok Verma, then CBI Director.
The CBI has not formulated any guideline to deal with tracing, tapping and surveillance of phone calls.
Chaturvedi said tracing, tapping and surveillance of phone calls directly and indirectly affects national security and intelligence.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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