CBI reply on Aseemanand confession leak not satisfactory:Court

"It is not a complete report," Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Bansal said while asking the agency to file a fresh report by February 25. The court was not satisfied with the brief report in which the CBI had refuted the allegation that it had leaked the confessional statement.

The court also pointed out that the two-page report was not signed by the CBI Director. The investigating agency said that the report was filed after being approved by the Director.

The court, however, was not satisfied and said, "Even if the CBI Director is a approver he should have at least signed it but it is not reflected in the report." The CBI refuted the claims made by RSS functionary Devendra Gupta, arrested for his role in Ajmer dargah blast case, that it had leaked the confessional statement of Swami Aseemanad to the media.

"The CBI has not released the press statement to the media containing the statement under section 164 CrPC of Aseemananad or even the fact that he had made a confessional statement as it was felt that it would jeopardise the interest of the investigation.

"However, an internal fact-finding enquiry has been instituted in the matter," CBI said in its report. The court had on February 4 had issued notice to the CBI and had asked its Director to explain how the confessional statement of Swami Aseemanand was leaked to the media.

The court had passed the order on an application filed by Gupta seeking registration of an FIR against CBI and 'Tehelka' magazine under various penal provisions for the "deliberate" leakage of Aseemanand's confessional statement. The confession was recorded in Delhi by a Metropolitan Magistrate on December 18 last year in an in-camera proceeding.