Mulayam Singh Yadav's files leak from CBI chief's office

NEW DELHI: CBI Director Ranjit Sinha has ordered an inquiry into the leak of a 132-page preliminary enquiry report on the disproportionate assets case against Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. CBI's investigating officers have recommended that the case be closed for lack of evidence.

"I have ordered an inquiry. The leak is a serious matter," CBI Director Ranjit Sinha told ET. The leak is suspected to have taken place from Sinha's office, a source said. The Investigating officer of the case, who is a Superintendent of Police level-officer, recommended closure of the case last week. An officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General officer agreed and signed the files on the evening of June 18. The file was then forwarded to a Joint Director for his view on July 19.

In a report to the apex court in 2008, CBI had alleged the Yadav family had disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 2.63 crore. ET was first to report, on June 6, that CBI could close the case as it was finding it difficult to make the charges stick after the deletion of the assets of Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-Law Dimple Yadav from the probe as per the directions of the apex court.

The PE report is now believed to have come to the same conclusions - that after excluding Dimple's assets, a DA case is not made out against the Yadav family. The report is also believed to have said that relatives of the Yadav family, who are said to have given loans or gifts to the family, cannot be questioned in the absence of a FIR in the matter. A final decision by the CBI Director is expected shortly and may come before the Parliament session which begins on August 5, given the "fast-paced movement of this file", in the words of a senior CBI officer who spoke to this paper.

CBI is, however, worried that all eyes will now be on the CBI Director given the leak of the PE report and the political pressure surrounding the six-year-old investigation.

"It is suspected that the leak happened from the Director's Office himself with the motive to not let CBI close the case as has been recommended and leaking the details just as the file movement had started. What if the Director wants to disapprove of the Investigating Officer or the DIG's recommendation to close the case? It will become even more controversial," a senior CBI officer told ET on the condition of anonymity.

The CBI is expected to seek legal opinion from its Directorate of Prosecution and senior law officers of the government before proceeding further in this sensitive case especially in the wake of the leak of the enquiry report.