New Delhi: CBI on Tuesday rejected the allegation
that its officials were behind the leakage of Ajmer dargah
blast accused Swami Aseemanand`s confessional statement and
sought to put the blame on a journalist.
The agency said "it has not been caused by the act of any
CBI official."
In a report submitted to Additional Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Sanjay Bansal, CBI, however, admitted Aseemanand`s
confessional statement had been leaked.
"It has been established that leakage of the confessional
statement of Swamy Aseemanand has not been caused by the act
of any of the officials of CBI," the agency said in its 2-page
report filed before the court in a sealed cover.
The agency sought to put the blame on journalist Ashish
Khaitan saying "he got the confessional statement published."
"Khaitan has stated that he had obtained a copy of the
confessional statement from one of his advocate sources. He,
however, has refused to divulge the particular of this source
during the inquiry," the agency told the court.
CBI filed its report today in the court which had on
February 15 said that its report on the leakage was incomplete
and directed it to file it afresh.
During the hearing, the CBI prosecutor opposed the claims
made by RSS functionary Devendra Gupta, arrested for his role
in Ajmer dargah blast case, that it had leaked Swami
Aseemanad`s statement to the media.
CBI also alleged the complainant (Gupta) is "politicizing
the matter" and his complaint is "motivated".
The probe agency said he has filed the complaint only to
obstruct smooth probe into the case.
Advocate Anupam Sharma, appearing for Gupta, submitted
his client should be provided the copy of the report filed by
CBI.
"We should know what the CBI has to say in the case," he
said.
CBI, however, opposed his submissions saying Gupta has no
locus standi in the case and the report is only about the
investigation being carried out by it. The court listed the
matter for further hearing on March 19.
The court had earlier asked the CBI Director to file a
complete report on the leakage. The order had been passed on
an application by Gupta seeking registration of an FIR against
CBI and `Tehelka` magazine under various penal provisions for
the "deliberate" leakage of Aseemanand`s confessional
statement.
The confession was recorded in Delhi by a Metropolitan
Magistrate on December 18 last year in an in-camera
proceeding.
Gupta had filed the application on January 31 seeking
registration of the FIR saying the leakage of the confessional
statement was "deliberate, intentional and malicious with the
sinister motive to insult and interrupt the judicial
proceedings".
Gupta, against whom a chargesheet has been filed by
Rajasthan`s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), is now lodged in the
Central Jail, Ajmer. Gupta had said Aseemanand`s confessional statement was
leaked by CBI to Tehelka magazine in violation of the law.
Rajasthan ATS had arrested Gupta from Ajmer and
Chandrashekhar and Lokesh from Madhya Pradesh last year. It
later arrested two more suspects, Harshad Bhai Solanki, who
was also allegedly involved in Best Bakery case of Vadodara
and is absconding since 2004, and Mukesh Vasani, from
Gujarat.
The blast in the premises of the dargah of Khawaja
Moinuddin Chishti in 2007 left three persons dead and 15
others injured.
Aseemanand (59), prime accused in Hyderabad`s Mecca
Masjid blast case, had in his recent confessional statement
said he and several other Sangh activists had a direct role in
Malegaon, Samjhauta Express, Ajmer and Mecca blasts.
PTI
