National
AG’s views against CBI filing appeal in Bofors case not binding: Parliamentary panel told
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) The government is learnt to have told a Parliamentary panel that the view of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal against filing an appeal in the Bofors case in the Supreme Court was not binding on the CBI, and the investigating agency is expected to take a call on the matter in the next few days.
The issue came up on Tuesday at a meeting of a sub-committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which quizzed CBI Director Alok Verma, CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana and Secretary Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) Ajay Mittal.
Sources said the CBI is likely to decide in the next three days whether it will file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the case or it will go ahead as a respondent in an existing case.
They said Mittal is learnt to have told the panel that Attorney General Venugopal’s view against filing a SLP in the case was not binding on the Central Bureau of Investigation and the agency was free to file an appeal.
Venugopal had told the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that CBI should not file a SLP as it is likely to be dismissed. The opinion was shared by CBI with the PAC sub-committee which is looking “into the non-compliance of certain aspects of a 1986 Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal”.
The sources said that BJP member Nishikant Dubey submitted two “evidences” which supported CBI moving ahead in the case.
Dubey is learnt to have said that the Income Tax Tribunal had given an order in 2010 which said that kickbacks were given in the Bofors deal. He also said that in 2014, Delhi High Court rejected former External Affairs Minister Madhav Singh Solanki’s plea for quashing an FIR against him as an offshoot in the Bofors scam.
The CBI wanted to file an SLP challenging the Delhi High Court order of May 31, 2005, quashing all charges against Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case.
The DoPT had sought legal opinion from the Attorney General on the CBI’s intention to proceed with the SLP.
In a letter to the DoPT Secretary, Venugopal said: “Now, more than 12 years have elapsed. Any SLP filed before the Supreme Court at this stage, in my view, is likely to be dismissed by the Court on account of the long delay itself.”
Venugopal also said the CBI can proceed as a respondent in the criminal appeals pending before the Supreme Court, filed by private persons (Ajay Kumar Aggarwal and Raj Kumar Pandey), challenging the same High Court judgement.
In October last year, the CBI had sought the central government’s permission to file a petition that could lead to reopening of the Bofors case.
A petitioner files an SLP to seek a special permission to be heard in the apex court in appeal against any judgment or order of any court or tribunal in the territory of India.
The alleged corruption in the Bofors guns deal had created a scandal in 1989, leading to the fall of the Rajiv Gandhi government. Kickbacks were alleged, but no evidence was found.
The Parliamentary sub-committee on defence attached to the PAC had in July last year suggested that the case of irregularities in purchase of Bofors guns should be reopened as there were many “loopholes” in the investigation in past.
The CBI officials had then told IANS that it could re-investigate the Bofors case only if a court order allowed it to.
Several MPs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also raised the issue in Parliament to re-open investigation in the case.
The CBI had also said it would look into the facts and circumstances mentioned in an interview of Michael Hershman, the first secret Bofors investigator of the Fairfax Group deployed by the Indian government.
Hershman, during an interview to a TV news channel, said he was ready to testify and assist the Indian agencies in the Bofors case.
Hershman said V.P. Singh, then Finance Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, had hired him in 1986 to probe certain issues involving suspected violations of currency control laws by about a dozen wealthy Indians. At that time Hershman ran Fairfax Group, a private investigation firm.
The deal for 410 Bofors Howitzers was sealed in March 1986.
In 1986, then Finance Minister V.P. Singh ordered an investigation. To do so, Singh had got in touch with private investigation group Fairfax.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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