Delhi court transfers graft tainted IAS officer's case to Daman

"The case is transferred to Daman as the offence was committed within the territorial bounds of the competent court there," Additional Sessions Judge O P Saini said.
The counsel for Ravi and two others -- Rakesh Rastogi and Ashok Khemani -- had earlier said the Delhi court had no jurisdiction to hear CBI plea seeking their custody.

Initially, the three accused were produced before Delhi court following their arrest in the case. Ravi, a 1983 batch IAS officer, who was working as Joint Secretary (disaster management) in the MHA, allegedly took a bribe of Rs 25 lakh through Rastogi, alleged middleman, to get the Daman administrator transferred.

Khemani, owner of Royal distilleries, was having problems with the administrator as he was allegedly posing hurdles in the attempt to evade excise duty.The Delhi court, on May 3, granted four days' transit remand to CBI for taking the accused to Daman for further probe into the matter.

It also dismissed the plea of Khemani that CBI be directed to take him to Daman by air and not by train as he was suffering from cardiac ailment.CBI, meanwhile, also arrested three excise officials at Daman.

A case under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Ravi, two excise inspectors Ramesh Mahyavanshi and Vijay Halpati and sub-inspector Suresh Dhodi.

The directors of six distilleries Royal, Jupiter, Krimpy, Silver Star and Dharmesh and some unidentified persons were also booked for alleged fraud. According to CBI, it has conducted searches at 36 places of the accused in Daman, Mumbai and New Delhi to unravel the alleged conspiracy.