Delhi HC has issued notice to CBI on the anticipatory bail plea of MCD junior engineer Navdeep Khatri in the alleged corruption case. The lower court had rejected his petition. The court has sought a status report from the CBI and the next hearing will be on July 3.
New Delhi [भारत]June 30 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice on the plea of Navdeep Khatri, a junior engineer (JE) of the Municipal Corporation of India (MCD), seeking anticipatory bail in an alleged corruption case. His anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the trial court last week.
The CBI had on May 4 registered an FIR on charges of harassing a builder in GB Road area and demanding a bribe of Rs 2 lakh for granting permission for construction in a property. Justice Mini Pushkarna has issued a notice to CBI and sought a status report. The bench has listed the matter before the concerned bench for hearing on July 3.
Petitioner expressed fear of arrest
Senior advocate N Hariharan along with advocates Bharat Gupta, Sujit Beniwal, Tushar Rohmetra and Siddharth Yadav appeared for the petitioner. It was argued that the petitioner has received information from the MCD to join the investigation in this matter as soon as possible. It was also argued that Khatri feared arrest by the CBI as several police officers were inquiring about him in his neighbourhood.
It has been argued that no specific role of the petitioner has been mentioned in the FIR, and there is no active involvement in the crime. He has no role in the entire matter of the allegations mentioned in the present FIR and charge sheet.
What is the whole matter?
The complainant said that he is a contractor and is constructing a property at GB Road, Mohalla Niharian, Katra Ghafoor Baksh, Annar Wali Gali, Delhi. During the construction of the said project, a man named Lokesh approached him and allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh, adding that if the amount was not paid, he would bring JE Navdeep Khatri to the spot and get it demolished.
After the FIR was registered, the CBI laid a trap and arrested the accused Lokesh, and another co-accused, Lovesh, was caught on the spot with the bribe money. After this, Navdeep Khatri’s premises were also raided.
It is stated by the petitioner that the complainant has deliberately hidden important facts from the investigating agency. The complainant failed to disclose the existing stay order, show cause notice issued by the petitioner and the pending civil proceedings. Official records clearly show that the construction is unauthorized. (ANI)
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