The CBI, in a status report, informed the Jharkhand High Court on Monday that the investigation in the horse trading during 2012 Rajya Sabha elections has been
completed and the agency will file the chargesheet against the accused within 10 days.
CBI counsel Mokhtar Khan also stated that the investigating agency had completed all the formalities to file the chargesheet.
A Division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Tatia and Justice Jay Roy, though granted the time sought by the agency, questioned it over securing bail by RK Aggarwal, who had contested the Upper House elections in 2012 as an independent nominee. The court questioned the CBI as how Aggarwal managed to obtain bail in the case from the lower court.
“The court was also not satisfied over RK Aggarwal securing bail from the lower court and has asked the CBI to submit all the documents related to the case before the court,” said petitioner's lawyer Rajeev Kumar.
Aggarwal, who was indirectly being backed by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in the 2012 Rajya Sabha polls, is a businessman from Jamshedpur.
CBI had conducted raids in the premises of over 23 MlAs of Jharkhand in connection with the horse trading case which was registered after Rs2.15 crore had been recovered from a vehicle, allegedly owned by a relative of Aggarwal, on the outskirts of Ranchi on the polling day.
The Election Commission of India had immediately scrapped the polling for the two seats held then and conducted the polls afresh. The court, in the meantime, also expressed its displeasure over the failure of the police to arrest JMM legislator Sita Soren accused in the Vikas Pandey abduction case and directed it to arrest her till June 11. Soren also happens to be an accused in the 2012 horse trading case.
Earlier, the Jharkhand High Court on April 15 had directed the state police to arrest Soren within three weeks. A division bench had also directed state the DGP and Home Secretary to appear personally before the court, if the police failed to arrest Soren during the prescribed time.
"The court today expressed displeasure over the failure of the state police to arrest JMM legislator Sita Soren and directed the police to arrest her till June 11 at any cost," said advocate Rajeev Kumar.
Home Secretary JB Tubid and the DGP Rajeev Kumar appeared personally before the court and informed the court about Soren's disappearance after the case was lodged against her.
"Commenting on the answers given by the Home Secretary and the DGP, the court questioned how the police will catch a criminal if they are not able to arrest SorenIJ" Kumar said referring to the court's observation. The court has asked the state police to submit a record of all the statements in the form of status report in the case.