CBI approaches SC to reopen Bofors case

NewDelhi Feb 3: In a major setback for Congress party the CBI on Friday has approached the CBI to reopen the Bofors Case.The CBI had challenged the verdict of the Delhi High Court which gave a clean chit to the Hinduja brothers. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi too had been named an accused but was exonerated in 2004 in the alleged payoffs case.

The CBI had told the court that " the delay in filing the SLP against the 2005 High Court order was the then (UPA) government's refusal to grant it permission to approach the court."

Earlier Attorney General K K Venugopal has advised that "the CBI should not file an SLP as it was likely to be dismissed on grounds of delay and “could well prejudice its stand even as a respondent in the appeals already pending."

The CBI has said that we have filed an SLP based on a fresh evidence that was brought by investigation of news Channel and the agency wants to further conduct a probe in the matter.

Bofors was the then biggest scandal in which bribes were paid by Swedish firms to the Indian government for supplying Bofors guns.