Delhi High Court Seeks Former Judge's Stand On CBI Plea In Graft Case

The Delhi High Court Friday sought former Orissa High Court judge IM Quddusi's stand on CBI's challenge to the trial court order which set aside its notice seeking certain information in connection with a graft case he is implicated in.

Justice Mukta Gupta issued notice on the CBI plea against the trial court order which was passed in April and listed the matter for further hearing on September 29.

In the notice issued under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the probe agency had sought information from Mr Quddusi on his bank accounts, employees and so on, which was set aside on the grounds that it amounted to self-incrimination.

"Notice was given to various accused. The trial court in impugned order accepted their stand (of self-incrimination) and set aside the notice under Section 91," advocate Nikhil Goel for CBI said.

In its case before trial court, CBI has accused former judge and six other persons of criminal conspiracy and corruption.

CBI has claimed that Mr Quddusi tried to influence the verdict in a case heard by the Supreme Court by manipulating several "high-level functionaries".

It alleged that BP Yadav, a co-accused, had approached the Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court after his college Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences was barred by the government from admitting students for 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The case was being heard in the Supreme Court when Yadav allegedly approached Quddusi and another co-accused to "get the matter settled" by manipulating "high-level functionaries", the CBI alleged.

Mr Quddusi was summoned in the case as an accused by a CBI court here in November 2019 after the charge sheet was filed by the probe agency.