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Chief IO refutes Raja's claim that probe in 2G case unfair

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Press Trust of India New Delhi
The Chief Investigating Officer in the 2G spectrum allocation case today refuted in a Delhi court the allegation of former Telecom Minister A Raja that probe conducted by him was unfair from the very beginning and it was done with "vested interest".

Deposing as a prosecution witness, CBI's Superintendent of Police Vivek Priyadarshi said not all files seized during the probe from the Department of Telecommunication were filed in the court along with the charge sheet.

He explained that some of the documents were not filed as they were not considered to be relevant to the case.

Priyadarshi denied the suggestion that documents were not filed as they could have "defeated" the agency's case.
 

"Every file seized from DoT during the investigation of the instant case, has not been filed with the charge sheet in the court. It is wrong to suggest that some files were not filed before this court with the charge sheet as that would have defeated the prosecution case," he said during his cross examination by Raja's counsel Manu Sharma.

"It is wrong to suggest that my investigation has been unfair from the very beginning. It is further wrong to suggest that it is for this reason that I suppressed the CVC report in FIR and charge sheet and never carried out the investigation on the lines contained in the CVC report," Priyadarshi told Special CBI Judge O P Saini.

He also denied the suggestions of the defence counsel that he had conducted probe with "vested interest" and not on the directions contained in the CVC reference.

On being asked as to whether he had studied each and every document seized and received during the probe, Priyadarshi said, "I read only the relevant portions of the documents, as indicated by the concerned witnesses or the assisting investigating officers."

Priyadarshi's cross-examination will continue tomorrow.

Raja, along with others, including DMK MP Kanimozhi, is facing trial for his alleged involvement in the case.

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First Published: Nov 12 2013 | 7:12 PM IST

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