CBI moves HC against summons to its chief in land scam case

CBI today moved the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court summons to its Director to explain the disappearance of some of the documents pertaining to the sensational multi-crore rupees Molarband and Dheerpur land scam case.

The petition of the agency is likely to be heard tomorrow.

A special CBI judge had earlier issued summons to the CBI Director, asking him to appear before him and explain how some crucial documents in the land scam, involving 'choley-bhature' vendor Ashok Malhotra as accused, has gone missing.

The lower court had also asked the CBI Director to explain why the fact regarding missing documents had been suppressed.

The case pertains to Delhi Assembly canteen's former contractor Ashok Malhotra who was arrested in 2007 along with MCD and DDA officials for allegedly conspiring to acquire plots meant for resettlement of slum dwellers and subsequently selling them at exorbitant rates.

The fact of missing documents had come to the court's notice on November 28, 2011, when it was told that documents and statements could not be filed as the
investigating officer (IO) of the case, D K Thakur, was arrested in another case.

CBI had also said the case record was not handed over by Thakur to any other IO and the documents relied upon could not be recovered from his almirah.

Malhotra was arrested on August 6, 2007, for allegedly conspiring with DDA officials to fraudulently acquire plots, meant for resettlement of slum dwellers between 2000 and 2002.