SC agrees to hear plea requesting SIT to examine Sinha's visitors' diary

Former CBI director Ranjit Sinha, ousted from 2G case probe for allegedly trying to help several accused, is in further trouble after the Supreme Court, on Monday, agreed to hear a plea requesting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the allegations of interference and scuttling of investigation against him.

"We have to take a call. Either, we have to agree with you (CBI) or with him (NGO's counsel making allegations)," a bench headed by Justice MB Lokur said while posting the matter for hearing on February 16, the day it will also hear Sinha's application accusing the NGO and its counsel Prashant Bhushan of perjury.

Sinha's counsel Vikas Singh contended that "judicial record spoke for itself that false and malicious allegations" have been levelled against former CBI chief Sinha and it cannot be that "just because he is Prashant Bhushan, he can get away with any lie".

Bhushan had said the entries in the visitors' register of the former CBI director made it clear that he was meeting highprofile people accused and those associated with coal block allocation such as Vijay Darda, his son Devendra and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay and there was a need for court-monitored SIT investigation to ascertain "whether any consideration exchanged hands".

"If there is so much of evidence on record that this gentleman (Sinha) at so many times had meetings with the accused and tried to change the course of probe and manoeuvre the situation for closing cases, then this court has to find out how this gentleman goes on meeting such people dozens of time and manoeuvres the investigation," Bhushan had submitted before the court.

'Factually Incorrect'

Senior advocate Amarender Sharan, appearing for the CBI, contended that several contents, including one about him (Sharan) in Bhushan's note were factually incorrect. However, Bhushan said all these allegations could be examined by the apex courtappointed Special Public Prosecutor (SPP).

He said the same procedure was adopted by the apex court in the 2G spectrum allocation scam when Sinha was directed to keep himself away from the cases arising out of it. Sharan said the CBI had already filed its response in a sealed cover to the NGO's plea on September 17.

The NGO had claimed that it came to light that Sinha, along with a few other senior officers of the level of joint director, repeatedly overruled the investigating officers and forced them not to register FIRs/RCs in cases where PEs had been registered.