JOIN USCBI Director Ranjit Sinha will soon take a decision on whether to file a closure report in the disproportionate assets case allegedly involving Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and members of his family .
The investigators have finalised a preliminary report, which claims that they have not been able to gather enough evidence. The agency has said that the matter is still under investigation and that no final decision has been taken on the issue.
Reports about absolving Mulayam and his family in the case have invited criticism from opposition parties, which allege that the CBI was being used by the Congress to fix opponents.
The investigations into the case were conducted by the CBI following a Supreme Court order in March 2007 on a PIL by lawyer Vishwanath Chaturvedi that Yadav and his family had accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.
Last year, the apex court had dropped the name of Dimple Yadav, wife of UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, from the case, noting that she does not hold any public office. The Supreme Court, however, gave a green signal to the CBI to go ahead with the probe against Mulayam and his sons Akhilesh and Prateek.
‘No evidence’
Investigators claim that they were not able to find evidence against Mulayam and others, and that the increase in their assets was mainly due to loans from relatives which were later claimed as gifts. The probe also could not find any huge increase in their assets.
CBI officials said that the inquiry has been completed by investigators and an initial report has been forwarded to the top brass of the agency to take a final decision on the matter. Once the top brass takes the decision, the case will either be closed or a regular case will be registered.
The top officials can reject the report if they find that there are still grey areas which have to be probed, sources said.
Chaturvedi, the petitioner, has alleged that a Cabinet minister “threatened” him last week and asked him not to appeal against the closure report. He did not identify the minister.
He alleged that the CBI has already changed its stand thrice to suit political needs of the government, and that he will certainly appeal if the CBI files a closure report.