Court asks accused businessman to join probe in graft case

A Delhi court today directed a businessman, accused in a graft case involving Delhi Chief Minister's former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar, to join the ongoing investigation while giving him a breather as it asked the CBI to give him four days' prior intimation before arresting him.

Special CBI judge Arvind Kumar passed the directions on a plea moved by accused Ravi Jain seeking anticipatory bail.

The court asked the accused, who is currently outside the country, to return and join the ongoing probe conducted by CBI and inform the court about his return within three days.

According to the CBI, Jain was accused of being involved in illegal money transactions between various companies including Ratan Prakashan, Ravi Offset Printers and Endeavour Systems Pvt Ltd (ESPL), which was allegedly floated by Kumar.
 

According to the CBI, ESPL was floated by Kumar for the award of government contracts worth over Rs 50 crore.

The CBI had arrested seven people, including Kumar, in this case and now all of them are out on bail.

It had registered a case against Kumar and others last December alleging that the officials had abused their official position by "favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders of Delhi government departments".

Most of the accused have been charged under section 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act relating to criminal misconduct for allegedly favouring ESPL in bagging of five contracts.

CBI has alleged that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused a loss of Rs 12 crore to the Delhi government in award of contracts between 2007 and 2015, and claimed that the officials had taken "undue benefit" of over Rs 3 crore while awarding the contracts.

This is the same case in which the agency had come under scathing criticism from the court which had directed it to return documents sought by the Delhi government seized during December 15, 2015 search of Kejriwal's office.

Arrest of the top state government official had triggered a political storm with the Delhi government accusing the Centre of indulging in "political vendetta" and "paralysing" governance.