Ex-CBI special director probing Sinha seeks visitors' diary copy

Former CBI special director M L Sharma, who is conducting inquiry into inappropriate meetings of then chief of the investigating agency Ranjit Sinha with 2G and coal scam accused, has approached the Supreme Court seeking original copy of the “visitors’ register”.

A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Madan B Lokur referred the plea made by Sharma to the 2G special bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu.

It was the bench presided over by the CJI that had earlier ordered for keeping in sealed envelope the documents relating to visitors logbook furnished by advocate Prashant Bhushan.

The application filed by Sharma would be considered on October 5.
During the brief hearing, the bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri, noted that the document sought for was important for probe but faced handicap in issuing any direction to hand over the copy to the inquiry team in view of the previous direction by the 2G bench.

The copy of the purported visitors diary allegedly contained names of the accused who frequented the residence of then CBI chief.

On May 14, the apex court had said an inquiry was “necessary” against Sinha over his “completely inappropriate” meetings with coal scam accused at his residence here, holding investigation must not only be fair but appear to be conducted in a fair manner.

The court had passed its order on a plea made by NGO Common Cause for special investigation team (SIT) probe against Sinha for scuttling investigation into the scam in view of his frequent meetings (90 to 130 times) with accused between 2013 and 2014 as disclosed from purported visitors’ register.

The name of Sharma, former CBI special director, had come out on July 6 as the unanimous choice to assist the CVC in conducting inquiry against Sinha.