CBI Chief Meeting Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan On Rafale Upsets Centre
NEW DELHI, Oct 09: Central Bureau of Investigation director Alok Verma's meeting with former Union minister Arun Shourie and lawyer Prashant Bhushan on the Rafale deal has not gone down well with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-headed Union government.
Mr Shourie and Mr Bhushan met the CBI director last Thursday to file a complaint and urge the agency to investigate the Rafale deal and offset contract. The third complainant in the matter is former finance minister Yashwant Sinha.
The Union government is upset with Mr Verma, especially given the fact that Mr Sinha and Mr Shourie, who used to be with the BJP, have now become bitter critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It is unheard of that the CBI director personally meets complainants, especially given that they are politicians," a senior cabinet minister told NDTV.
According to the minister, the normal procedure is to handover the complaint at the CBI office reception.
"Even junior officers refuse to meet complainants. The officer may meet a complainant only when a complaint is formalised and an inquiry is initiated," the minister added.
Along with a detailed complaint under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Mr Bhushan and Mr Shourie submitted documents buttressing their argument that the deal needs to be probed.
Alleging that the offset contract for the Rafale aircraft was actually a commission to a subsidiary of Anil Ambani's Reliance group, they asked CBI director Alok Verma to take the government's permission to initiate a probe in accordance with the law.
There's another reason the government is upset with Mr Verma - his alleged tussle with CBI special director Rakesh Asthana, the second senior-most officer in the agency.
"The credibility of the agencies has suffered as they seem to have gone into the hands of rogue elements," the minister lamented, referring not just to the CBI but also the Enforcement Directorate.
In a letter to revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia, dated June 11, Enforcement Directorate joint director Rajeshwar Singh had asked a series of uncomfortable questions and accused him of "siding with scamsters". The letter was forwarded to Mr Adhia by Enforcement Directorate chief Karnal Singh.
CBI special director Rakesh Asthana and revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia are Gujarat cadre officers who are said to have been handpicked for these key positions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Centre's unhappiness with Mr Verma, Karnal Singh and Rajeshwar Singh could also stem from this fact.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Bhojshala case: Disputed structure built from remains of pre-existing temples, claims ASI
Indore (PTI): The ASI has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that a massive structure dating back to the Paramara kings' rule existed at the disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex, and the current structure was built from the remains of temples.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) made the claim on Tuesday based on its 98-day scientific survey and over 2,000-page report.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side claims the monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex is protected by the ASI.
During the hearing before Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the HC's Indore bench, Additional Solicitor General Sunil Kumar Jain, representing the ASI, presented a detailed account of the scientific survey conducted two years ago at the complex.
Referring to the ASI's survey report, he said, "Retrieved architectural remains, sculptural fragments, large slabs of inscriptions with literary texts, Nagakarnika inscriptions on pillars, etc, suggest that a large structure associated with literary and educational activities existed at the site. Based on scientific investigations and archaeological remains recovered during the investigations, this pre-existing structure can be dated to the Paramara period."
It can be said that the existing structure was made from the parts of earlier temples, based on scientific investigations, survey and archaeological excavations conducted, study and analysis of retrieved finds, study of architectural remains, sculptures, and inscriptions, art and sculptures, Jain said quoting the report.
Summarising the report, he also drew the court's attention to the fact that the archaeological study identifies that many architectural components, such as pillars and beams, were originally part of temple structures before being repurposed for a mosque.
"The evidence of this transition includes Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions that were damaged or hidden, alongside sculptures of deities and animals that were often mutilated or defaced," Jain contended.
The report also states that "all Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions are older than the Arabic and Persian inscriptions, indicating that users or engravers of the Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions occupied the place earlier".
In light of the Muslim side's earlier objections, the bench wanted to know why there were some discrepancies in the ASI's responses regarding the status of the disputed complex in the cases filed over the years.
The Additional Solicitor General argued that earlier studies of the complex involved only officials, while the current survey involved scientists and the use of advanced technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Wednesday.
The high court has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal regarding the religious nature of the Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex since April 6.
