Wanted SLP in Bofors pay-off case, but UPA govt didn't allow, CBI tells SC

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has expressed its willingness to continue probe into the infamous Bofors payoff scandal that rocked then Congress government in the mid-1980s.

According to reports, the central probe agency has apprised Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that it has informed the Supreme Court of its willingness to continue probe into the Bofors payoff case.

In a letter to the PAC, the CBI had conveyed that it was of the view that a SLP (special leave petition) should be preferred against the Delhi High Court order dated 31.05.2005 acquitting the Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case, but it could not do so as the then UPA government did not grant permission.

The submission made by the CBI to the PAC holds significance since a sub-committee of the parliamentary panel had recently questioned a pending audit report on the purchase of the Swedish Howitzer guns.

The sub-committee had even questioned the Defence Ministry's efforts to recover papers relevant to the purchase signed in 1986.

In the Bofors case, the CBI was asked by the Centre to explain why Delhi High Court order should be challenged, in response to a petition filed by a Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Agarwal, who had moved the Supreme Court last month seeking an early hearing in his case.

The PAC had also asked the CBI to explain what action it took in connection with the case since  1990. 

In its reply, the CBI said that it was not correct to suggest that it had failed to take action and pursue the case. To support its statement, the CBI also furnished details of the action it had taken since the registration of the case on January 22, 1990.

The issue was also raised by BJP MPs during the Monsoon Session of Parliament as part of a bid by the ruling party to keep up the pressure on main opposition Congress over the issue of corruption. 

Importantly, a meeting of the PAC is scheduled today to discuss reports related to the case.