Astonishing affair between ex-CBI boss and key accused: AG tells SC

The income tax apprisal report on controversial meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi discloses "astonishing" state of affairs between him and previous CBI Director who used to have conversation with the businessman on a daily basis in code on issues including helping accused in some cases, the Centre today told the Supreme Court.

Although Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi did not name the ex-CBI Director, but the reference was seen as towards A P Singh as the top law officer said the former agency chief is now a member of UPSC.

Singh was the predecessor of present Director Ranjit Sinha who is also facing flak for allegedly meeting Qureshi, an alleged hawala dealer, at his residence.

Mentioning some details of the IT report, which he claimed was only a "trailor and the real movie is awaited", Rohatgi said the former Director used to have conversation with Qureshi on daily basis in code through BBM on issues including helping accused in some cases.

"The conduct of former CBI Director is wholly unbecoming of the Director and I am pained to say that," the AG said and added, "I was pained when I read this".

Rohatgi said that income tax department had raided Qureshi after his conversations with others were tapped and on the basis of the raid the apprisal report was prepared which is not a statutory document but an analysis.

He, however, said "There is no conversation between Moin Qureshi and the present CBI Director. There may be some innuendo referring to present CBI Director but there is no direct conversation."

The report, runing in four volumes, was prepared on the basis of documents and material seized by the department. It was placed in a sealed envelope before a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur, Kurien Joseph and A K Sikri.

The bench said it will go through the report and documents placed by the AG and hold the next hearing on December 8.

The report was submitted after an NGO moved the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Centre to apprise it about the progress made by the IT department in its probe against the Delhi-based meat exporter whose name reportedly figured many times in the entry register of the residence of Ranjit Sinha.

The NGO, Common Cause, which is pursuing the coal block allocation scam in the apex court, filed an application that the appraisal report prepared by the Director General of Income Tax (Investigations) on their probe of Qureshi in alleged hawala dealings be placed before it.