CBI chief's removal illegal: Rahul
New Delhi, Oct 25: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said forcing CBI director Alok Verma to go on indefinite leave was "illegal" and alleged that it was done as the government panicked over the possibility of him investigating the Rafale jet deal.
Addressing a press conference here, he claimed that Verma's removal was an "insult" to the Constitution, the chief justice of India and the leader of the opposition.
The move was "illegal", the Congress chief said.
The interim charge of the agency has been given a person who has cases against him so that the prime minister can control him, Gandhi alleged, referring to joint director Nageswara Rao.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday said Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were asked to go on leave as per the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission and it was "absolutely essential" to maintain the institutional integrity of CBI.
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Court grants statutory bail to two more accused in Sabarimala gold loss cases
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): A court here on Thursday granted statutory bail to more accused in two cases related to the alleged gold loss from the Sabarimala temple.
The Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit CS granted bail to Chennai-based Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and Ballari-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam in connection with cases involving gold loss from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) gold plates and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the temple.
The duo was granted bail in both cases after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to file charge sheets within 90 days of their arrest.
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Pankaj Bhandari is the 12th accused in the Dwarapalaka case and the ninth accused in the Sreekovil door frame case, while Govardhan Roddam is the 13th accused in the Dwarapalaka case and the 10th accused in the Sreekovil door frame case.
With the latest development, as many as 10 accused have now been released from jail after securing bail in the Sabarimala cases.
According to the investigation, the artefacts from Sabarimala were taken to Smart Creations in 2019 for replating, after which the SIT alleged that gold was lost.
Govardhan is also said to be a close associate of the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty.
The SIT, following searches at the residences and offices of the accused, had recovered gold allegedly equivalent to the reported losses from Sabarimala.
The SIT has informed the Kerala High Court that charge sheets in the cases will be filed before the end of March.
