Chargesheet in AgustaWestland scam to be filed this year, govt tells SC
The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Friday that a final investigation report in the Agusta Westland chopper scam will be filed by year end.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Friday that a final investigation report in the Agusta Westland chopper scam will be filed by year end.
Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, representing the government, told a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra that a criminal case had been registered and a special investigating team was probing the allegations.
Kumar made his submission when the bench took up a petition seeking registration of a case against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Ahmed Patel in the scam. In support of his prayer, the petition quoted the Italian court judgement.
However, in the wake of Kumar’s statement the court refused to issue any orders and disposed the petition. It said no directions are required because a probe is pending. But the petition was given the liberty to approach the court after the filing of charge sheet. “If he feels that a person has not been made an accused he can approach the court again,” said the bench.
The court expunged those remarks in the petition where the petitioner alleged those “who were a part of the scam were awarded constitutional posts.” The bench said such language should not have been used.
The Italian court had said that Augusta hired middlemen and paid bribes to politicians to make sure it got a deal for 12 choppers.
The SC had last month issued a notice to the Centre and the CBI seeking their response on whether the probe could be handed over to a court-appointed team, as desired by the petitioner.
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