CBI faces court's ire for incomplete reply to Jagdish Tytler's plea

NEW DELHI: CBI today faced the ire of a Delhi court for filing an incomplete reply on a plea filed by Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, chargesheeted along with controversial businessman Abhishek Verma in a case of alleged forgery of a letter sent to the Prime Minister.

The court was irked after going through the reply filed by CBI to Tytler's plea seeking some documents related to the case.

The agency, in its reply, said certain documents have been filed before the trial court in a "sealed cover" but Special CBI Judge V K Gupta noted that no such documents have been filed in the court.

At this juncture, the CBI prosecutor told the court that these documents have been filed in a sealed cover before another court here in connection with a separate case lodged under the Official Secrets Act.

"Why you (CBI) have not written it (regarding filing of documents in sealed cover in another court) in your reply? It should be specific in the reply," the judge said.

During the arguments, Tytler's lawyer told the judge that "it is high time that the court should impose cost on CBI."

The defence counsel also said CBI should file a fresh reply to Tytler's plea.

The judge pulled up the probe agency saying "I will now start imposing cost on CBI."

"Further reply to the application under section 207 CrPC filed. However, the said reply is also not complete and clear and it refers to filing of certain documents in sealed cover before the trial court. No such documents in sealed cover have been filed before this court," the judge said and fixed the matter for August 5.

The court also asked CBI to file a reply "clarifying the position as regard the documents filed in sealed cover".

The court had on September 6 last year taken cognisance of CBI's charge sheet which was filed on a complaint of then Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken that a forged letter on his letterhead was written to the then Prime Minister by Verma seeking easing of business visa norms in 2009.