Sohrabuddin CBI probe fame judge, himself probed for corruption

Judge who ordered CBI probe in Sohrab case, himself probed for corruption
Ahmedabad, 1 August, 2010




Asutosh Asthana, who could be harmful for alleged corrupt judges mysteriously died in custody. Family alleged that he was killed to rescue powerful people


-CBI probe in Sohrabuddin encounter case was ordered by Supreme Court judges Tarun Chatterjee and Aftab Alam in last January. Justice Tarun Chatterjee ordered CBI probe “to check larger conspiracy in the case” on last day of his retirement.

-Justice Tarun Chatterjee is presently tipped for a new assignment — that of the mediator in the border dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by Congress/UPA govt in centre.

More on Tarun Chatterjee and corruption allegation, CBI probe against him

-The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently recommended action against a former Supreme Court judge Tarun Chatterjee and 23 other judges for their role in the infamous multi-crore Ghaziabad provident fund (PF) scam.

-A foolproof case could not be built against several judges including Chatterjee because of the mysterious death of the main accused and bill clerk Ashutosh Asthana. Asthana, who died under mysterious circumstances in Dasna jail in Ghaziabad, had named several judges including Tarun Chatterjee as beneficiaries of the money illegally diverted from the state treasury in his confessional statement before a magistrate. Asthana’s family had alleged that Asthana was killed by poison in custody.Family said he was “murdered” on the instructions of powerful people involved in the scam.

-Following is India Today report on Chatterjee’s involvement in corruption case:

The CBI, sources said, had questioned Justice Chatterjee at his residence towards the end of 2008 while he was a Supreme Court judge, after seeking permission from the then CJI K. G. Balakrishnan.

Sources said a CBI team went to Chatterjee’s official residence and questioned him on Asthana’s statement before a judicial magistrate.

Asthana had alleged that household goods were purchased and transported from Ghaziabad to his house in Kolkata.

The CBI had also questioned Justice Chatterjee’s son Anirudh Chatterjee in Kolkata on allegations that he had accepted a laptop and a mobile phone.

Though Justice Chatterjee denied the allegations during questioning, the agency, sources said, was able to match the handwriting on the bills to a relative of the former apex court judge.

The ex-SC judge had, however, claimed that he had foot the bill himself and had exhibited photocopies of a cheque he had given to the shopkeeper as proof, sources said.

-You can GOOGLE relevant keywords to know more on this. Dozens of news reports have been published on these affairs.