The Hindu : Taj scam: SC asks CBI to probe assets of four persons

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Friday, Sep 12, 2003

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Taj scam: SC asks CBI to probe assets of four persons

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI SEPT. 11. The Supreme Court today granted a week's time to the CBI to probe into the assets of four persons allegedly involved in the "Rs. 175-crore Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) project scam" at Agra after the investigating agency said it would take some time to verify the assets.

A Bench, comprising Justices M.B. Shah and A.R. Lakshmanan, asked the CBI to "go after the trail of the Rs. 17 crores released for the construction of the project and find out where it has gone, how it has been spent and who have benefited from it."

In response to the court's August 21 direction, the CBI submitted to the court two volumes of its report along with annexures running into over 700-pages into the preliminary enquiry it had undertaken against those allegedly involved in sanctioning the project.

When the Bench asked the agency why it had not verified the assets of those involved in the scam despite a clear direction, the Additional Solicitor-General, Altaf Ahmed, appearing for the CBI said: "it will take time as such investigation is discreet, wide and a painstaking exercise."

Disagreeing with this, the Bench said: "by delaying, everything will be lost and nothing would be recovered. Collection of evidence regarding assets is much more important."

The Bench, which did not disclose the names of those allegedly involved, asked the agency to verify their assets and report back to the court on September 18.

The Bench observed that evidence collected so far pointed to an offence committed under Section 13(1)(d)(ii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prima facie sufficient to initiate departmental proceedings against the officials involved in the scam.

Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh Government, senior advocate Rakesh Diwedi submitted that "there should be some investigation as to where the money has gone."

Mr. Ahmed said search and seizure of disproportionate assets of those involved would require gathering of credible information and not what the sources tell the agency.

The Bench said it was not asking for seizure of the property, it was merely asking for gathering of information regarding the assets of the four.

"Focus on the four persons. Find out where the amount of Rs. 17 crores has gone. You are proceeding as if all their assets are to be verified," the Bench told Mr. Ahmed.

"The way the CBI is proceeding with the case, it will take months and years. However, if you bring your focus on the Rs. 17 crores, it would not take more than a week", the Bench said and adjourned the case to September 18.

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