Putting the government in a piquant situation, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit the copy of the judgement of the subordinate Court at El Dorado in Argentina and other documents relating to the refusal of the extradition of Ottavio Quattrocchi to face trial in India for his alleged involvement in the Rs 64 crore Bofors scam case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices P K Thakkar and R V Raveendran directed the investigating agency to furnish the documents within four weeks.
‘Deliberate move’
In an application on Saturday, petitioner Ajay Agrawal alleged that the government and the CBI had deliberately did not challenge the lower court order before the Supreme Court of Argentina and allowed the Italian fugitive to flee to Italy last week.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaium appearing for the CBI argued that the application should be dismissed and the facts stated in it was based on news reports.
Italian businessman Quattrocchi was arrested by Argentina authorities on February 8 this year and Central Bureau Investigation, the country’s premier agency, came to know about it on February 23.
Not enough evidence
India had moved the El Dorado court for his extradition to India, but the request was turned down as the CBI could not produce enough evidence of his involvement in the scam.
Mr Agrawal, an advocate, had earlier challenged a Delhi High Court order quashing the criminal charges against the Hinduja brothers and the CBI not appealing the order before the Apex Court.

FREED FROM ‘TAJ VIRUS’
Apex court exonorates Microsoft in Taj case
New Delhi, DHNS: The Supreme Court on Monday exonerated American software giant Microsoft from damaging the Moghul monument by organising a dance programme on January 30 this year during the launch of  Windows Vista in India.
After the submission of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a bench headed by Justice S B Sinha said the software giant did not commit any wrong to damage the monument.
The ASI submitted that the dance programme was organised behind the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna and the authorities did not accord any permission to any organisation for the programme.
An application was filed last month before the Supreme Court seeking action against the Microsoft for the programme which seemed to have been organised inside the premises of the Taj Mahal on January 30 in photographs circulated in the media.
In an order on March 25, 1998 the Apex Court had banned all activities from the 500 meters of the premises of the monument created by Mughul king Shah Jehan in memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal under various sections of the Ancient Monuments Act.