The Petitioners in the Bofors case have moved an application in the Hon’ble Supreme Court, asking for an early hearing date, owing to the revelation of a fresh financial report stating a financial quid pro quo for the ₹ 1,437 crore Howitzer gun deal in 1986.
The petition had been initially made by Mr. Ajay Agrawal, who alleged apparent collusiveness by CBI with the accused persons in the Bofors scam, saying the agency did not challenge the Delhi High Court’s May 31, 2005 judgement quashing all charges against the Europe-based Hinduja brothers.
The Petitioners have challenged the previous judgment of the Hon’ble Court after the CBI failed to approach the top court with the appeal within the 90-day deadline after the High Court verdict.
According to them, The CBI on January 22, 1990 had registered the FIR for the alleged offence of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery under the IPC and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused on the grounds that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed to the extent of Rs. 64 crore in the contracts for the supply of Bofors guns.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court had admitted the Petition on October 18, 2005 and had allowed both the member to go ahead with the hearings in the case.
Mr. Agarwal, in his petition had narrated the series of events that took place in the case and how the CBI failed in its duty to make an appeal a case to take the accused to justice.
In a statement, he said that the “High Court had quashed the charges against the accused persons on technical grounds and the order was totally perverse which is liable to be set aside.”
It has been alleged that the special CBI court in Delhi had wrongfully discharged the accused from the case stating that the country cannot afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which has already cost Rs 250 crore. Quattrocchi, who had fled from here on July 29-30, 1993, has since, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He passed away on July 13, 2013.
