Regular public prosecutor to conduct trial in Naval War room case, says CBI

NEW DELHI: CBI has told a Delhi court that as no special public prosecutor has been appointed till date to conduct the trial in the 2006 Naval War Room leak case, its regular PP would represent the agency before it.

In pursuance to the court's earlier notice, CBI's Superintendent of Police Harish Chand Sharma appeared before it and informed it that its regular public prosecutor (PP) V K Ojha would be conducting the trial in the case.

"Present Harish Chand Sharma, SP CBI, pursuant to the notice as per order dated November 11, 2014, and states that it has been decided by the prosecution that the regular PP representing the CBI cases in the court, V K Ojha, shall be conducting this case on behalf of the prosecution since no Special PP has been appointed by CBI till date," Special CBI Judge J P S Malik noted in the order.

The court then fixed the matter for December 17-18 for recording of statements of prosecution witnesses in the case.

Former Navy officer Kulbhushan Prashar, former naval commander Vijender Rana, sacked naval commander V K Jha, former IAF Wing Commander Sambha Jee L Surve and arms dealer and Delhi-based businessman Abhishek Verma are facing trial in the case for alleged criminal conspiracy under IPC and under various Official Secrets Act (OSA).

While Prashar, Surve, Rana and Jha are on bail, Abhishek Verma is lodged in jail and the court extended his judicial custody till December 17.

CBI had earlier faced the ire of the court which imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on it for "unnecessarily" delaying the proceedings by not appointing a prosecutor in the case.

The court, which had issued notice to the concerned CBI SP, was annoyed as the agency had not appointed any prosecutor to represent its case in which the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi had earlier appointed Rajiv Mohan as Special Public Prosecutor (SPP).