Gaya, Feb 05: CBI director U S Mishra today said the agency was considering challenging in the supreme court the Delhi high court's order quashing bribery charges against the Hinduja brothers and Sweden's Bofors company in the Howitzer deal case. During his visit to Gaya in connection with the mysterious death of two suspects of the Satyendra Dubey murder case, Mishra told reporters that the CBI was seeking legal opinion over yesterday's high court judgement.
Detailed discussions will be held before reaching a final decision in the matter, he said.
The Swedish arms manufacturer and the Hinduja brothers were charged with abetting then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then defence secretary S K Bhatnagar in abusing their official position and accepting bribe to award the contract for supply of 410 155 mm field guns to the Swedish firm.
Justice J D Kapoor was yesterday dealing with a plea by the Hinduja brothers and A B Bofors company, challenging charges framed against them in the March 1986 case.
''So far as public servants are concerned 16 long years of investigation by a premier agency of the country (CBI) could not unearth a scintilla of evidence against them for having accepted bribe/illegal gratification in awarding the contract in favour of Bofors,'' the judge observed.
But Justice Kapoor said conspiracy and cheating charges against the three Hinduja brothers could go ahead in a lower court, due to begin trial hearings this month. The CBI director said that the agency had ample time as any appeal could be filed within 60 days of the verdict.

Bureau Report