The special CBI court has ordered the remand of three individuals, including two senior Indian Railway officials, to CBI custody for interrogation. This decision follows their arrest on December 1 on charges of allegedly demanding and accepting bribes in exchange for awarding a contract.
On December 1, the Central Bureau of Investigation apprehended Atul Sharma, Deputy Chief Material Manager (Electrical); Samir Dave, a private individual who offered the bribe; and HD Parmar, Senior Material Manager at Western Railway. The next day, the agency presented the three before the special court, seeking custodial interrogation. However, the court rejected the plea, and they were subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
The following day, the CBI filed another plea before the court, requesting custodial interrogation, citing the limited time during the initial presentation that hindered the complete disclosure of facts.
According to the CBI, Sharma and Parmar were intercepted in their cabins, with Rs. 20,000/- recovered from Sharma's office table, constituting the bribe amount paid by Samir Dave. Parmar was intercepted, and a bribe amount of Rs. 4,000/- was recovered from him in the presence of a witness.
The agency asserted that searches conducted at their residences post-arrest led to the recovery of several documents crucial for the investigation, requiring confrontation with the accused.
In their defense, the accused maintained their innocence, claiming false implication in the absence of a private complainant. They also argued that they were not served with a mandatory notice under the Criminal Procedure Code to join the probe.
However, the special judge dismissed their defense, emphasizing that had the CBI waited for the issuance of a notice to the accused, the trap might have failed.
"I perused the case diary and progress in the investigation. Those were not available on the first day of remand. Accused are also charged with the offense of criminal conspiracy,” remarked the court. “Considering the gravity and seriousness of the offense, involvement of higher officers of railways, proper investigation is required. And for proper investigation, the presence of the accused with police/CBI officers is necessary," concluded the court, remanding them to CBI custody until December 11.
