Azad-Heptulla 'morphed' photo: CBI seeks more time to file status report

NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI) today sought more time from the Delhi High Court to submit its status report on a plea seeking a probe into alleged morphing of a photo of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Najma Heptulla in a book published on the country's first Education Minister.

A bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru granted two weeks time to CBI after its counsel sought "reasonable" time for submitting the report.

The court also directed CBI to specifically answer all the queries raised by the petitioner, Azad's grandnephew Firoz Bakht Ahmed who alleged that the morphing was done at the instance of Heptulla when she was heading Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

"CBI shall file a detailed status report in two weeks and it should specifically answer all the queries raised by the petitioner. The matter is posted for next hearing on December 16," the court said.

The bench also observed that the petitioner's query was limited to whether the photo was morphed and if any investigation to determine the person responsible for it was carried out.