CBI probe casts shadow on own officers, agency buries report

Of this, Rs 1 crore is suspected to have been transferred via hawala to unnamed officers in Delhi, according to the probe report. But the entire amount had to be returned to Chudasama as the alleged effort to shield him did not succeed. In July 2010, he was named in the case and an arrest warrant issued, it says.

Chudasama is a close aide of former Gujarat minister of state for home, Amit Shah, who is accused of orchestrating the fake encounter. Chudasama was suspected of tampering with evidence and influencing witnesses. He is the cousin of Abhay Chudasama, who was the DCP (crime) at the time and is also accused in the case.

"The statement of Nitin Shenoy reveals that the circumstances and those events that preceded and followed the pre-determined meetings amongst Amitabh Thakur, Nitin Shenoy, Rajesh Ranjan and Yashpal Chudasama were meant to influence/subvert the ongoing investigation in the fake encounter case of Gujarat by approaching the investigating officer," says the 66-page secret internal inquiry report accessed by The Indian Express.

The report gives details of alleged clandestine meetings between the CBI officer and the three other men and contains call detail records, passenger manifests and witness statements to corroborate its findings. It was submitted to the CBI headquarters in early 2012.

"A careful scrutiny of events indicates that Yashpal Chudasama succeeded in his efforts at least to the extent that he managed to approach the IO and had clandestine meetings with Amitabh Thakur. He also got an assurance of his non-arrest on the day of his deposition in CBI... It can safely be presumed that had there not been a micro scrutiny of the role of Yashpal Chudasama at the level of the CBI headquarters, he would have walked free," the report said.

It recommended a PE (preliminary enquiry) be registered against Ranjan, Shenoy, Chudasama and "unknown CBI officers" and that the role of Thakur and P Kandaswamy be inquired into "thoroughly".

... contd.

ALSO READ

CBI chief says report on coal block 'clean and clear'

Pak High Commissioner to visit Sanaullah today

Janampatri to genomepatri, the leap forward in predicting future

Despite fast-track courts, rape conviction rate still low