Twist in Bofors case: Defence Ministry says probe is still alive

In a sensational twist in the Rs 64 crore Bofors kickback case, the Ministry of Defence has disclosed that the probe is still alive. According to a Times Now report, the ministry replied to an RTI application regarding the Bofors case around two weeks ago, refusing to provide the sought information on the ground that it is sub judice. It said the investigation was under process.

The RTI application wanted to know how many people were involved in the Bofors scandal and if the guilty had been punished, among other things.

As soon as the revelation was made a war of words broke out between the opposition and the government. The Congress slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) by telling them to "get original".

The BJP has argued why the CBI could not reopen the Bofors case if it could reopen the LK Advani's Babri Masjit case.

A few days ago, the Public Accounts Committee, which has been examining pending reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, directed the CBI to restart investigations into the Bofors payoffs.

BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, who heads a sub-committee examining the pending reports, asked CBI director Alok Verma to put up the case regarding “systemic failure“ in the Bofors contract as well as charges of bribe taking that made the deal a political scandal in the late 1980s.

The CBI said it would write to the government seeking a nod to restart investigations.