Bangaru, Lakshman chargesheeted by CBI

NEW DELHI: Five years after the infamous Tehelka expose, the CBI on Tuesday filed its first charge sheet in the case against former BJP President Bangaru Lakshman, who was caught accepting wads of money from fictitious arms dealers.

The chargesheet was filed before the designated court against Lakshman under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and other sections of Prevention of corruption act.

The CBI, which was handed over the case only on December six, 2004, completed the investigations in 15 months. It claimed that Lakshman had also fudged the accounts of the BJP by making a back-dated entry of the money received from the representatives of the fictitious company floated by the Tehelka web portal, the CBI alleged.

CBI sources said a personal secretary of Lakshman, Satyamurthy, had made a confessional statement under section 164 of CrPC before a magistrate alleging that back-dated entries were made in the BJP's account books to accommodate Rs one lakh allegedly taken by Lakshman from representatives of a fictitious weapon firm.

The CBI yesterday moved an application before the court for granting permission to make Satyamurthy approver in the case and grant him pardon.

The CBI said Lakshman allegedly fudged the BJP's account books to accommodate the payment received from the fictitious firm, as he had claimed after Tehelka's sting operation that the money was meant for party funds.