CBI crisis: Joint director MK Sinha alleges NSA Ajit Doval of interfering in Rakesh Asthana probe and stalling searches

The CBI joint director MK Sinha has alleged that NSA Ajit Doval interfered in the special director Rakesh Asthana case and stalled the proceedings as well.

Sinha was supervising the probe carried on the special director Rakesh Asthana, who faced difficulties in carrying on a search at the latters residence. Sinha was among the officers who were transferred, post the joining of M Nageshwar Rao as the interim chief of the CBI.

The petition filed by Sinha also mentions about a conversation by the R&AW officer Samant Goel, who said that “the PMO had managed the CBI issue,” and post this, the CBI officers were transferred, as reported by The Indian Express.

Sinha, in his petition, has said that, “As per Manoj Prasad (the middleman arrested in the case against Asthana), Shri Dineshwar Prasad, father of Manoj and Somesh, retired as Joint Secretary, R&AW and has close acquaintance with the present National Security Advisor Shri Ajit K. Doval (“NSA”). This was one of the first things Manoj claimed on being brought to CBI HQ and expressed complete surprise and anger as to how CBI could pick him up, despite his close links with the NSA Shri Doval.”

The petition adds that, “Sometime in first fortnight of June 2018, a few crores of rupees was paid to Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, presently Minister of State for Coal and Mines in Government of India. As per Shri Sana, Shri Haribhai had intervened with the Senior officers of CBI through the office of the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension [“MOS (P)”], to whom, apparently, the Director – CBI reports to. The money was paid through one Vipul of Ahmedabad. These facts were disclosed by Sana to me on 20.10.2018 in the forenoon. I immediately reported the matter to the Director and the AD (AK Sharma).”

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