Land scam: Court summons CBI chief

NEW DELHI: A special CBI court has summoned the CBI director to explain how crucial documents in the multi-crore Molarband and Dheerpur land scam, involving ‘chole-bhature’ vendor Ashok Malhotra, have gone missing.
The case pertains to Delhi Vidhan Sabha canteen's former contractor Ashok Malhotra, who was arrested in 2007 along with MCD and DDA officials, for allegedly conspiring to acquire plots meant for resettlement of slum dwellers and subsequently selling them at exorbitant rates.
Special CBI judge A K Mendiratta issued notice to the CBI director to appear before it on January 12, saying, “I am of the view that in the facts and circumstances, notice be issued to the director, CBI to appear in person to explain the circumstances in which facts regarding the missing documents were suppressed. The matter is of exceptional nature as the sensitive documents relating to the case have not been placed along with the chargesheet and are stated to be missing.”
On November 28, 2011 the court was told by the CBI that the documents and the statements could not be filed in court as the investigating officer (IO) of the case, inspector D K Thakur, had been arrested.
The CBI also told the court that the case record was not handed over by Thakur to any other IO and that the documents could not be recovered from his almirah. “Such a crucial fact does not appear to have been brought to the notice of the court for a period of about 4 years, despite filing of the chargesheet on November 17, 2007. The case has been repeatedly adjourned and is pending for supply of copies for over four years,” Mendiratta said.