The CBI action comes after the second in command in the CBI, wrote to Cabinet Secretary alleging that the businessman had paid CBI Director Alok Verma Rs 2 crore to get relief in the case.
The agency opposed Asthana's plea seeking quashing of the FIR and said a roving inquiry at this stage was not permissible.
During the hearing, CBI said charges against Asthana are serious and the agency was investigating the matter and is likely to add more offences in the FIR.
Manish Kumar Sinha has also alleged that the complainant in the case, businessman Sana Sathish Babu, had told him that Union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhari had been paid bribes to the tune of several crores of rupees for alleged help in matters related to CBI.
The CBI did not oppose his bail petition.
Asthana was booked on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Verma came to the CVC office in the late afternoon and stayed there for about two hours, they said.
The Central Vigilance Commission on Tuesday examined some Central Bureau of Investigation official.
After taking over on Tuesday night, Rao overhauled the team probing allegations of corruption against Asthana, bringing in completely new faces, officials said.
The CVC report spoke about the controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi's case and claimed that CBI team looking into the case wanted to make Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana an accused in the case but Verma never gave clearance.
The judge said that permission for prior sanction to prosecute Asthana was not required considering the facts of the case.
Verma is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled by Asthana before the panel comprising Vigilance Commissioners T M Bhasin and Sharad Kumar, they said.
Breaking his silence, the ousted CBI chief said that he was transferred on the basis of allegations made by only one person, who was inimical to him.
The case files and documents have been sent to the CVC for scrutiny following the Supreme Court's order directing the vigilance body to inquire against Verma.
'Thugs is smarter than a lot of 'nationalistic' movies,' notes Rohit Sathish Nair.
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