Visitor book unauthorized, full of flaws, CBI chief Ranjit Sinha says

NEW DELHI: On a day the Supreme Court asked CBI director Ranjit Sinha to file an affidavit on the allegations leveled against him by an NGO for entertaining scam-tainted visitors at his official residence, the agency chief the charges were based on an "unsubstantiated and unauthorised register".

"Allegations have been leveled against me on the basis of a register which is unofficial, which nobody knows who maintained it and it is full of inconsistencies," Sinha told TOI. Though Sinha has not denied meeting people at his residence, he said,"If you closely look at the entries in the register, there are so many flaws including the names, signatures, dates and timings of visits and even my presence."

CBI sources said the agency would point out in the apex court that the entries in the register may have been fudged and if not, the agency which maintained it should claim it. The CBI has officially denied maintaining any register on the visitors to Sinha's official 2 Jan Path residence.

The agency chief will inform the apex court that he has not favoured any company, named in CBI case, sources said.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan of Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) has alleged that CBI chief was diluting probe in 2G and coal scam cases, which are being monitored by the Supreme Court.

Bhushan has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Sinha's removal saying such misconduct is "completely unbecoming" of a senior police officer, holding the top post of the premier probe agency of the country. Bhushan has alleged that Sinha attempted to interfere with the probe of Aircel-Maxis deal and keeping at bay DIG Santosh Rastogi from the 2G probe.

Sinha has already filed a perjury case against Bhushan on the issue.