New Delhi:The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to maintain status quo in the ongoing probe involving agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana and granted him interim protection from arrest till Monday.
The 'status quo' is generally referred to the existing state of affairs or circumstances, and now, both sides involved in the dispute are prevented from taking any action until the next date of hearing.
Justice Najmi Waziri directed the CBI to file response to agency's Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devender Kumar's plea seeking quashing of First Information Report (FIR). The court listed the matter for further hearing on October 29.
The order asking the agency to maintain the status quo has been issued on the plea of Asthana only.
The high court asked both Asthana and Kumar to preserve the records of the case and also their mobile records.
The CBI had Monday arrested its DSP Devender Kumar in connection with bribery allegations involving the investigative agency's second-in-command, Asthana.
Kumar, earlier the investigating officer in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, was arrested Monday by the CBI on the allegations of forgery in recording the statement of businessman Sathish Sana, who had alleged to have paid bribe to get relief in the case.
In his statement, Sana had purportedly said that he had in June discussed his case with Telugu Desam Party's Rajya Sabha member C M Ramesh who, after speaking to the CBI director, had assured him that he would not be summoned again.
"From June onwards, I was not called by the CBI. I was under the impression that investigation against me is complete," he is believed to have said.
The CBI has now alleged that Kumar had fabricated this statement as an "afterthought... to corroborate the baseless allegations made by Asthana against CBI Director Alok Verma to the CVC (Central Vigilance Commissioner)".
They said the agency was also looking into the alleged role of other members of the special investigation team headed by Asthana.
Asthana, who was booked by the agency on bribery charges in an unprecedented action, had complained against Verma on August 24, 2018.
CBI seeks Devender Kumar's custody
DSP Devender Kumar was produced before a Delhi court on Tuesday.
The investigating agency sought his custody for 10 days and told Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann that incriminating documents and evidence found after raiding his office and residence. It claimed that Kumar was part of extortion racket being run in the garb of investigation.
Kumar's counsel opposed the submission and moved a bail plea before the court.
CBI has sought the court's nod to add some more sections in the present FIR against accused including Kumar.
