NCLT deputy registrar arrest: CBI seeks to interrogate accused again, he files for bail claiming no truth in allegations of seeking bribe
The CBI has again sought the custody of a deputy registrar of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) arrested last month on allegations of accepting a bribe of Rs 3 lakh, even as he has filed for bail. Charan Pratap Singh was arrested along with an aide Karsan Ahir on May 29 by the CBI and the special court sent them to judicial custody on the same day.
The CBI has again sought custody of Singh and Ahir stating that their custodial interrogation is needed to ascertain about the staff or other senior officials of the NCLT, who were helping him in the case of the complainant, an hotel owner, from whom the bribe was allegedly sought to settle the matter in his favour.
The CBI has said that its officials did not get sufficient time to interrogate the arrested accused. Singh has, meanwhile, sought bail claiming that the allegations are 'vague' and 'without any concrete evidence'.
The case relates to a dispute between the complainant and his brothers regarding the ownership of the hotel. The matter is pending before the NCLT in Mumbai for over five years.
The complainant had alleged that he came in contact with Singh in connection with the pending matter. It is alleged that Singh contacted the complainant and informed him that one of his staff members wanted to stay at his hotel in Lonavala. Accordingly, the staffer with her family stayed at the hotel in April but payment for the same was not done with a bill of Rs 30,000 pending.
The complainant alleged that when he asked Singh about the dues, he got irritated and reminded him about the pending matter in NCLT. The complainant further alleged that Singh told him that he will help him with the case and sought the files of the case, which he then handed over at a restaurant on April 26.
The complainant had alleged that Singh sought a bribe from him, and he approached the anti-corruption bureau of the agency, following which a trap was laid.
On May 28, Ahir, an aide of Singh, accepted the bribe amount on his behalf, the CBI has claimed. The CBI had then sought custody of Singh claiming that he is involved in a 'corruption racket' 'which may lead to a bigger conspiracy of corrupt practices taking place at NCLT' but he was sent to judicial custody by the court.
The CBI has now sought to probe into the movement of the file related to the complainant's case, claiming that the two accused have 'exclusive knowledge' of it.
Singh through his lawyer Shalabh Saxena said that searches have already been conducted at his residence and no 'tainted' money or incriminating recovery has been made, with mere cash of Rs 22,000 found at his home.
'There is no documented or corroborated evidence to establish the demand of illegal gratification by the accused,' the bail plea states. It is also claimed that Singh owns no property in Mumbai and is living in a shared accommodation in a '8×10 chawl'. He has further submitted that he does not have any sanctioning authority or financial decision-making power in the NCLT. The court has scheduled the pleas for hearing on June 9.
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