Senior Central Bureau of Investigation officer Vivek Dutt, who headed the coal-gate probe team, and three others were sent to three days in the agency's custody by a Delhi court for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 7 lakh from a businessman to favour him in a land dispute case.
Superintendent Dutt, CBI inspector Rajesh Chandra Karnatak, alleged middleman Rajesh Pachisia and businessman Dinesh Chand Gupta were produced before the court where CBI sought seven days police custody of the four accused.
"All the accused are remanded in CBI custody till 21 May," Special CBI Judge V K Gupta said.
Dutt, however, claimed innocence and alleged a conspiracy has been hatched to keep him out of the Supreme Court-monitored coal-gate probe team.
During the hearing, the CBI prosecutor told the court that Dutt and Karnatak were in the same branch in the agency and Pachisia was in regular contact with them.
CBI said Dinesh Gupta had a land dispute and a cheating case was registered against him at Amar Colony police station here and Dutt used to pressurize the Delhi Police officials, who were investigating the cheating case, to quash the FIR and for this he had demanded Rs 15 lakh from Gupta.
The prosecutor said the SHO of Amar Colony police station was initially reluctant but later he succumbed to the pressure and the FIR was quashed.
CBI said Pachisia was apprehended on Friday when was handing over Rs 7 lakh to Karnatak.
The prosecutor told the court that Rs 15 lakh cash was recovered from Pachisia, Karnatak and Gupta.
Seeking seven days custody of the four accused, the prosecutor also said that during the searches conducted by the agency, Rs 24 lakh cash was recovered from the residence of Karnatak on Friday.
Opposing CBI's plea for police custody, the defence counsel said Dutt was investigating a very important case of coal-gate scam under the supervision of the Supreme Court and if such an allegation is levelled against such a senior official, then the court should look into it very cautiously.
Dutt's counsel said someone was trying to destroy career of the senior officer.
"The doubt which we have in our mind is that when an officer is involved in a very important case, then someone may try to divert the attention. Someone might want to remove him from the probe," the counsel said.
He told the court that his client is being targeted and nothing has been recovered from his possession by the agency.
"He is investigating an important case under the supervision of the Supreme Court and somebody wants him not to be the part of the probe team... This is simply a device to divert the attention that the investigation in the coal scam is vitiated and the officer is corrupt," the counsel said.
The advocates, appearing for the other accused, argued CBI has not followed proper procedures in this case and even the case diary is not proper.
Countering the claims of the defence counsel, CBI said they have done the investigating in a fair manner and no injustice is being done to anyone.
"Can we do injustice to our officer?... Cash has been recovered, documents have been recovered and we are doing it in a fair manner and no injustice is being done," the prosecutor said.
He further said they have recorded many conversations between Dutt and the SHO and there are four independent witnesses who were present at the time when the cash was recovered from the possession of the accused.
The defence counsel also alleged the arrest of the four accused was illegal as they were arrested at 7 pm on Friday but they were allowed to inform their families only at 1 am at night.
The advocate said the maximum sentence for the offence of conspiracy under the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, for which they are charged with, is seven years and in such a situation, reasons for arrest have to be recorded, which has not been done in this case.
