NEW DELHI: The Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the securities scam on June 21 shelved its decision to summon the Prime Minister in connection with the alleged Rs 1 crore payoff but issued summons to Harshad Mehta, CBI and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to give further evidence on June 2425.
Briefing newsmen, JPC Chairman Ram Niwas Mirdha said no decision was taken On the issue of summoning Prime Minister Rao, at Monday’s meeting. The committee agreed it would be considered after the examination of Harshad Mehta and the two investigating agencies, Mirdha said.
Meanwhile, former CBI Joint Director K.Madhavan had informed the CBI Director and senior officer’s way back in August 1992 that some “important” persons were involved in the multi crore securities scam, according to JPC sources here. Ina letter to the Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the securities scam, Madhavan said it was for this reason that he had declined to verify that “no politician or any other bigwig was involved in the scam,” the sources said, In his 29page communication, which also contains enclosures, Madhavan said “to sum up, I resigned because I was disgusted with the way the investigations were controlled. Such control was, at best, a monumental mistake.
At worst, a blatant cover up.” “My conscience did not allow me to acquiesce in such an activity. The offer of out of tum promotion, the desperate attempt to give a clean chit to all the politicians and bigwigs and deliberate distortion about my reason for seeking voluntary retirement have made me realize that my original decision is correct,” he said.
In his communication, circulated among JPC members, Madhavan said a request for such a clean chit was made to him by the CBI Additional Director. However, in letters dated Aug.11 and 14,1992, Madhavan told his senior officer that at such an early stage of investigations, it would be “premature” on his part to certify that no politician or any bigwig was associated with the scam, the sources said. The former CBI official informed the committee that he had also drawn the attention of the CBI Director, S.K.Dutta when he separately met him in Delhi and Bombay about allegations of involvement of politicians and influential public figures.
Madhavan had sought premature retirement in July with a three month notice period. He has alleged that during this notice period while he was still in service attempts were made to make him certify that no publication was involved in the scam.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 25, 1993
