New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a plea moved by three retired Indian Air Force officials challenging their summoning by the trial court in alleged AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam case.
The bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain last week after hearing the submissions sought the response of CBI, Ministry of Defence and Indian Air Force (IAF) on the plea challenging the trial court's summoning order on July 18 of three retired IAF officials Air Commodore Navyath Santhosh (Retd.), Air Commodre Sanjay Anand Kunte (Retd.), Wg Cdr Thomas Mathew (retd.) by the Special CBI Court at Rouse Avenue.
The IAF officials have alleged a lack of sanction for prosecution under Section 197 (2) of the CrPC which mandates that no court will take cognizance of an offence sans the previous sanction of the Central government. The retd IAF officials were represented by Advocates Ishanee Sharma and Akshat Bajpai.
On July 18, 2022, a Special CBI Court issued summons against four Indian Air Force (IAF) retired officials including the Former Defence Secretary in AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper alleged scam case. The plea stated that the CBI in charge sheet has not disclosed any monetary gain or money trail, which is the sine qua non of the offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The Agusta Westland case is a corruption case which is being probed by CBI and ED. It has been alleged that bribes were paid during UPA Regime to "middlemen", perhaps even politicians, when India agreed to buy 12 AgustaWestland helicopters built by Italian defence manufacturing Company Finmeccanica at an estimated cost of Rs 3,600 crore. Later in 2014, the said deal was scrapped by NDA Government. (ANI)
