NEW DELHI: In its first major action against controversial god man Chandraswamy, the CBI told the SSupreme Court that it had filed charge sheets against him and his secret K.N Aggarwal in a case relating to the cheating of a Non Resident Indian, Lakhu bhai Pathak of an amount of $i lakh in 1988.
The Solicitor General Deepankar Gupta told a division bench comprising Justice JS. Verma and Justice B.K, Kirpal, monitoring the investigations of criminal and FERA violation cases against Chandraswamy that though the charge sheet had been filed in the court of the chief metropolitan magistrate, sanction to prosecute the god man and his secretary for an offence committed outside the country was being sought from the central government, ‘The judges intervened at this stage to tell the solicitor that he should inform the court in case the investigating agencies “encounter roadblocks in the seeking of the sanction.”
“We hope that this exercise to seek sanction does not gather dust,” the judges told the solicitor general while adjourning hearing in the case to April 26.
‘The allegations by Pathak was that the acidized persons in criminal con, y with others cheated the co plain ant to the tune of $1 lakh which they had obtained from him with the promise that Chandraswamy will use influence in the Government of India for securing contracts for new print and paper pulp supply in his favor.
Pathak had further alleged that the, accused persons had failed to keep their promise and on demand refused.
According to investigations Carried out by the CBI in the case and disclosed to the Apex Court during the last hearing’ that Cheeks for the said amount had been found to be deposited by a contact man of the accused persons W.E, Miller, through pay in slips in his account with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
Investigations by the CBI were pur. Sued in New York, Los Angeles, New ‘York and Canada through Interpol channels.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 17, 1996
