New Delhi: A plea was on Tuesday moved in the
Supreme Court seeking early hearing of the petition
challenging the verdict of the Delhi High Court quashing
criminal charges against the Hinduja brothers in the Bofors
pay off case.
The application filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal said
it has been around five years since the appeal against the May
31, 2005, verdict was admitted by the apex court and a notice
issued to CBI and others.
The application is likely to be listed tomorrow before
a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan for fixing
the date for hearing the appeal.
Agrawal had filed the Special Leave Petition (SLP)
against the High Court judgement after CBI failed to appeal
against it within the mandatory 90 days.
Justice R S Sodhi had quashed all charges against the
Europe-based Hinduja brothers -- S P Hinduja, G P Hinduja and
P C Hinduja.
In the application, the advocate has mentioned some
"important developments" that had taken place since the appeal
was filed in the matter.
He said an application moved by CBI before the trial
court for withdrawal of the case against Italian businessman
Ottavio Quattrocchi was pending and in 2006 the agency
allegedly facilitated the defreezing of his accounts in a bank
in London.
The advocate said he has opposed the withdrawal of the
case against Quattrochhi and the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
has kept the matter for hearing on March 31 as the records of
the case are lying with the apex court after the appeal
against the discharge of Hinuja brothers were filed.
Quattrochhi has never appeared before any court in
India and all efforts by CBI to extradite him has failed.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 18:44